


it's alright, it's okay

by EmbraceTheEccentric



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Fix-It, Gen, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Jabberwock Island (Dangan Ronpa), Multi, Post-Canon Fix-It, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Recovery, Suicidal Ideation, Suicidal Thoughts, Therapy, there will be a lot of characters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-11
Updated: 2020-02-28
Packaged: 2020-12-07 21:06:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 58,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20982365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmbraceTheEccentric/pseuds/EmbraceTheEccentric
Summary: The sound of another gunshot, a foreign pressure in his head, his senses fading to black as he fell to the ground beside Maki and Himiko, and three final words that were spoken with a tone that couldn’t be described as anything else but bored.“World destruction complete.”





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I thought of a new ending...and honestly a new plot. Because listen, let's be honest here, the pre-game versions of the v3 kids are fuckin disgusting and I love them BUT I've had this idea of an alternate route for a while.
> 
> Just a quick disclaimer, the dialogue in the first half of this chapter is ripped straight from the ending of Danganronpa v3 verbatim, I just needed to establish the scene so I could shift into the new stuff.
> 
> Cool. Thanks. This is my first Danganronpa fic, let me know if it sucks. And plEASE tell me if this concept has been done before so I can shout out other people's versions.
> 
> Edit: I've added some of the relationships that'll be in this just so if any of them aren't your jam you can jump ship now.

“So in the end…we still don’t know what was true or not,” Maki concluded, a thoughtful weight to her words as she glanced around at the rubble of their destroyed school. Or at least, what they had believed had been a school. She looked up at the massive hole K1-B0’s destruction had made in the academy’s glass dome, bright light shining through it that prevented the three of them from seeing what was beyond. “The fictional world ends here, and the real world lies out there. Perhaps just beyond here is the truth.” She looked back down at the ground. “But, maybe it isn’t.”

“Maybe it’s all still fiction in that world, or...” Himiko thought aloud, hopelessness seeping back into her voice. “Maybe Danganronpa still continues in that world, or…”

“Or maybe he outside world is the same as this world,” Maki suggested, letting out a slight chuckle that surprised both Himiko and Shuichi. “It might be a world…filled with lies.” Maki ignored the thought that what she just said sounded a lot like the mantra of a certain purple-haired menace and instead smiled at her two companions.

“Well…” Himiko raised a finger to her chin, considering Maki’s suggestion. “If we can get out from here, we’ll know for sure.” The two girls looked to Shuichi for agreement, only to see the detective was still deep in thought.

“Yeah…” Shuichi finally spoke again, voice trailing off. “But I feel like…there’s not too much meaning in truth and lies…”

“Nyeh? What do you mean?” Himiko asked. Shuichi gave a thoughtful hum.

“I mean that…” He began, attempting to put his thoughts in cohesive order. “Even if something is a lie, even if it’s fiction…If it has the power to change the world, then it must contain some kind of truth. Aren’t we proof of that?” He gestured to the three of them as thoughts of their fallen peers flashing through his mind. “In this fictional world, we overcame all these fictional struggles…but those things changed us. And we were able to change the world. So it doesn’t really matter where the truth ends and where the lies begin. If lies can change the world just as well as the truth can…then lies…are just another way of telling the truth. Some lies can lead the world to hope…some truths can lead the world to despair…so I don’t think anyone can really say which is more right in the end.”

“I guess it’s not important whether it’s a truth or lie,” Himiko agreed. “Just what it leads to…”

“Yeah, that’s what I believe,” Shuichi confirmed with a smile, happy to see his rambling thoughts were being understood. “We stand with one foot in fiction, and one foot in reality.” The trio all looked back up at the opening in the glass dome, their exit into the outside world.

“Then, we need to see for ourselves whether this fictional world has changed the outside world,” Maki said, taking one last look around the destroyed compound they were leaving behind. “And what we can do from this point on…”

“You’re right,” Himiko decided, sounding more determined than Shuichi had ever heard her be. “We can’t stay in this fictional world forever. It’s already over. We gotta take all the experiences we earned in this world and go on to the next.”

“Yeah, let’s go. We’ll see what this world gained, and what it lost, and all the rest. Let’s find out, together.” Shuichi looked between his companions for confirmation that they were ready to move forward. Himiko responded with a smile but Maki was still staring off into space. Shuichi now noticed the assassin had tensed up, unblinking as she looked off into the distance.

“Maki? Is something wrong?” Shuichi asked. Maki’s gaze was intense, the same look she gave when it was guaranteed to be followed by sharp words or deadly action.

“Look over there,” She spoke, her voice even but laced with caution as she pointed at something behind Shuichi and Himiko. The two followed the direction in which she pointed and finally saw what had her on edge.

A man stood a ways away from their small group, or at least Shuichi assumed he was a man. The figure, dressed in a dark suit and sporting short brown hair, regarded them from afar. What gave Shuichi pause were the translucent red squares floating around the man, like pixels from a videogame. Even from afar, Shuichi could see his eyes matched the vibrant red of the squares.

“Who is that?” Himiko whispered, clearly uncomfortable with the sudden presence of a stranger as she pulled her hat down to partially shield her face.

“Um…ex-excuse me?” Shuichi called out, tentatively raising one hand in a sort of half wave. The man looked between the three of them, observing.

“Don’t mind me, I’m merely here to retrieve you three,” The stranger finally spoke. Out of the corner of his eye Shuichi saw Maki take a step forward, her hand twitching by her side likely preparing to grab a weapon that she unfortunately didn’t have. The man tracked her movement, gaze settling on her as if he decided she was the one he needed to keep an eye on.

“Retrieve us?” Himiko repeated. “But wait-”

“Who are you?” Maki cut in, taking another step forward so she had Shuichi and Himiko slightly behind her. “Do you work for them, the showrunners?”

“I was listening to your conversations before and I’m honestly quite impressed,” The man said, ignoring Maki’s question. “For all the points you’ve guessed wrong, you’ve also made a startlingly high number of accurate assumptions. It’s also good to see your final thoughts here are on the side of hope. That’ll make things easier later.” The man raised one of his hands, curling some of his fingers in towards his palm so his grip resembled a gun.

“Make what easier? Please, tell us what’s going on,” Shuichi begged as he reached out to try and pull Maki back towards them.

“Please remain still,” The man requested, still ignoring their questions as he closed one eye and pointed his finger gun in the direction of the group. “The less traumatizing this is now, the less damage we’ll need to fix later.”

Before Shuichi could even get a word out and ask what he meant, the sound of a gunshot rang out. There was no gun, just the man’s hand mimicking the shape of one, and yet the effect was clearly real because what else would cause Maki to suddenly slump to the ground beside him. Shuichi felt his heart stop as he stared down at Maki’s body, blood steadily pooling beneath her head where a seemingly imaginary bullet had passed cleanly through. He faintly registered that Himiko let out a scream before the sound of another gunshot preceded Himiko’s body collapsing beside Maki’s, their blood mixing together on the ground by Shuichi’s feet.

Shuichi couldn’t scream, he couldn’t even breathe. He merely stared down at their bodies, unmoving and silent, waiting for them to get back up, waiting for the nightmare to end. Because that was what this was, a nightmare.

It had to be.

They escaped.

They beat the game

They were leaving to face the outside world _together_.

_This couldn’t be_ _happening_.

As those final thoughts ran through Shuichi’s mind he registered one last statement come from the stranger who had shot and killed his friends. The sound of another gunshot, a foreign pressure in his head, his senses fading to black as he fell to the ground beside Maki and Himiko, and three final words that were spoken with a tone that couldn’t be described as anything else but _bored_.

“World destruction complete.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not sure if chapters will always be released this quickly. I've got some fully written, some not, and some only partially fleshed out so we'll see how quick the turnaround can be.
> 
> Also I really hope if ya'll are reading this that you know at least the three main games and like...the anime too. Because if not, certain references might not make sense in this. Just a warning.

He expected pain.

There should have been pain because he was clearly still alive. Why else would he be hearing the steady beep of a hospital monitor or hushed voices that came in and out, marked by the click of a door opening and closing. How else could the sterile scent of antiseptic burn his noise or the feeling of cotton blankets weigh down on his body. Unless this was what Heaven was like…or Hell, but he doubted it.

So there should be pain. He was shot in the head after all…or at least…he thought he was.

No, he had been shot.

And so had Maki and Himiko.

He had watched them die.

So where was the pain?

“His brain waves changed, they’ve gone from delta to alpha.”

That…voice…that _damn voice_.

Words spoken with a tone that couldn’t be described as anything else but _bored_, that voice was in the same room as him. The voice of the stranger who shot his friends, who shot _him_.

“Oh, they’re shifting into beta waves now. Go find Mikan, I think he’s finally waking up.”

The voice sounded less bored now but he knew it still belonged to that man. The door clicked again, someone had left the room. He needed to open his eyes, he needed to move. That man was too close, they were probably alone now. He needed to _move_.

Wake up.

Wake _up_.

_WAKE UP._

Shuichi opened his eyes.

Shuichi immediately closed his eyes. It was too bright, the light hurt his eyes. So he did still feel pain, he deduced. Shuichi tried again, squeezing one eye shut while attempting to open the other against the harsh glare. Everything was too blurry, all he saw was white.

“Is the light too bright? Here, I’ll shut them off.” Shuichi heard movement, the rustling of clothes and soft steps. There was a click, different from the door click, and suddenly the bright light dimmed. Shuichi blinked, gradually able to open both of his eyes now. He looked up at a white ceiling, glanced to the side and saw a window with its curtains mostly closed and a wall covered in soft blue and white paint. “Is that better?” Shuichi looked to his other side and saw a vital sign monitor, beeping away. And beside the monitor stood the man who shot him, now dressed down in jeans and a t-shirt.

Shuichi would have let out a shaky scream had it not been for the fact that his throat felt like sandpaper. All that would come out was a dry choke, accompanied by the steadily increasing beep of the monitor signaling his rising heart rate. Shuichi tried moving but he barely had the energy to raise his head or hands, let alone his entire body. The man glanced at the monitor, worry taking over his features, then back at Shuichi who was shifting in the bed in an attempt to put distance between them.

“Shuichi, I’m going to need you to calm down,” He said, holding up his hands in a placating manner. “I know all of this may be a bit frightening but your body is still in a very fragile state. We don’t want to-”

“Y-you sh…shot-t…” Shuichi forced the words out, each sound grating painfully on his throat. Thankfully the man seemed to understand what he was trying to say, a look of dawning realization now on his face.

“What you saw, that wasn’t…I mean I wasn’t…” The man was starting to panic a bit himself as he thought of the words to say. “What I mean is, you weren’t actually shot. Himiko and Maki weren’t shot either, they’re perfectly fine.” The man gestured to himself. “My name is Hajime Hinata. I promise you, you’re safe.”

Shuichi stared at the man, Hajime, and tried to swallow only for the action to send him into a coughing fit. As he weakly tried bringing his hand to his mouth, Hajime ran over to a small table in the room with a stack of cups and a pitcher on top. Hajime poured a cup of what Shuichi guessed was water, bringing it back over to the coughing detective. For a moment Shuichi considered turning down the offer of a drink because of the potential for being drugged but ultimately decided against it. He took the water, noticing the hand he used to grip the cup was much thinner than he remembered it being, his veins standing out as stark blue lines against his pale skin.

Shuichi sipped slowly at the water, warily watching Hajime take a step back from the bed to give him space. Something seemed different about him, aside from the change of clothes and the increase in emotions beyond indifference. Honestly, for someone with at least some detective skills it took Shuichi far too long to notice that it was the change in eye color throwing him off. Whereas before the eyes were both a deep and vibrant red, only the left eye remained that color while the right eye was now green.

“Wh-where…” Shuichi coughed a bit more to clear his throat. “Where am I? Where are Himiko and Maki?” Hajime took a breath and sighed, returning to a chair set near Shuichi’s bed that he must have been sitting in when Shuichi first awoke.

“Well, to start you’re in a hospital, though I’m sure you’ve already figured that one out,” Hajime began. “The hospital is located on an archipelago known as Jabberwock Island. Your friends are here too, just in different rooms.” Shuichi looked down, finally noticing an IV line sticking out of his forearm. Weakly raising his hand he felt the bumpy outlines of electrodes stuck to his chest. Reaching up further he felt more electrodes attached to his head. His fingers lightly brushed over his forehead, feeling for an entry wound of the bullet but felt nothing except smooth skin.

“Were we…we…but you shot us,” Shuichi argued feebly, dropping his hand back to his lap.

“Not exactly.” Hajime’s response was vague as he took Shuichi’s empty water cup. “Shuichi, can you tell me the last thing you remember?” He requested, walking back over to the pitcher to refill the cup.

“I remember you shooting my friends and then me.”

“I _didn’t_-” Hajime cut himself off, shutting his eyes as he took a deep calming breath. He returned with the cup and handed it to Shuichi. “_Before_ that. What do you remember before that?”

“The academy. Keebo…he destroyed it after we beat…” Shuichi quieted as the door the room opened, two women walking in. One wearing a nurse’s uniform with choppy, dark purple hair wrapped up in a bun walked immediately over to look at the vital monitor. The other had purple hair as well, though her’s was a soft lavender, left loose to fall over shoulders. She was dressed business casual in a blazer and skirt, black gloves covering her hands.

“Shuichi, this is Mikan Tsumiki and Kyoko Kirigiri,” Hajime introduced, pointing at each woman when he said their respective name.

“I’m so sorry we took so long, I was checking on the others.” Mikan gave a nervous smile, her words wobbly like she was on the brink of tears. “Miss Harukawa tried getting out of bed.”

“She was trying to get to the tray of syringes in the room but her legs were too atrophied,” Kyoko explained as she shut the door behind them and leaned against it with her arms crossed. “It’s hard enough having all three of them wake up at the same time let alone deal with one who’s determined to fight back.” Shuichi stared at Kyoko, something about her sparking familiarity in his head.

“Is Peko with her?” Hajime asked, Kyoko nodding in response. As Mikan began to listen to Shuichi’s lungs with a stethoscope Kyoko turned her violet eyes on him, noticing his staring.

“Shuichi?” She took a step away from the door towards his bed.

“I know you,” Shuichi murmured, words tumbling from his mouth before he had a chance to think them over. Kyoko raised a brow, glancing back at Hajime and sharing a look with him before turning back towards Shuichi.

“We’ve met before,” She told him, nodding her head. “Do you remember…”

“No, I just…you’re so familiar, I just don’t know why.” Shuichi shook his own head, frowning.

“I was just asking him what he remembered before you came in,” Hajime supplied.

“How was he when he woke up?” Mikan asked, now shining a pen light into Shuichi’s eyes to check his pupils. Hajime let out a sigh and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

“Freaked out a bit,” He admitted. “I look like World Destroyer so I don’t blame him. I probably shouldn’t have been the first person he saw.”

“You’re the one who insisted on being here when he woke up,” Kyoko pointed out, side-stepping Mikan as the nurse moved to the end of the bed to prod at Shuichi’s feet and ask if he could feel it.

“I’m aware,” Hajime acknowledged.

“Can someone please explain what’s going on?” Shuichi was already stressed from everything happening in the environment around him, and the lack of answers was only making it worse. “Where are Maki and Himiko, can I see them?”

“Not yet, but soon,” Mikan answered. She was making notes on a chart she had taken from the end of the hospital bed, looking more confident than before as her attention focused on the vitals she recorded. “Shuichi, can you try and remember where you know Kyoko from?”

Shuichi closed his eyes and tried shifting through the mess of thoughts in his head. He moved backwards in time, skipping past the scene of him standing with Maki and Himiko as they prepared to enter the outside world. He skipped past rubble falling over them as K1-B0 destroyed the academy, brick by brick. He ran back through that fateful final trial, the audience siding with their plan, Tsumugi revealing herself as the mastermind….Tsumugi…

“Wait, you…” Shuichi jolted, his eyes quickly opening as he looked between Mikan, Hajime, and Kyoko. “No wait, I know all of you. You’re students from Hope’s Peak, from the other killing games. You were in that book…a-and Tsumugi cosplayed as all of you, but…but she could only do that because you were characters, not real-”

“I’m going to stop you right there,” Kyoko interrupted, placing one of her gloved hands on Shuichi’s arm. Only when he looked down did he notice he had crushed the water cup he had been holding and his hands were shaking. Hajime made a noise of irritation when Kyoko stopped his rambling, prompting her to send a stern look his way. “This is getting us nowhere, he’s just going to spiral like the rest did.” Kyoko turned back towards Shuichi. “Shuichi, this is going to be hard to grasp but I need you to try and follow along as best you can.” She paused, waiting for him to meet her gaze before continuing. “The killing game you were just in, it was all fake. The academy, the dome, and the reveal that it was all just a television show, and everything else.” Shuichi’s hands stopped shaking as his entire body froze.

“B-but…but it…”

“Everything was a lie.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope ya'll like exposition

“You were in a virtual world, a Psychotherapeutic Communication Simulator we call the Neo World Program. You and fifteen other students were kidnapped by remnants of despair, placed in the program, and implanted with false memories.” Hajime had taken up part of the explanation now. Mikan had since excused herself from the room, apologizing profusely as she announced she needed to recheck on Maki and Himiko. “The Tragedy, Hope’s Peak, the Future Foundation, and the other killing games actually exist and happened. They weren’t part of a show.” Shuichi closed his eyes again, focusing on the beep of the heart monitor and making a little game out of keeping it from skyrocketing as his heart pounded in his chest.

“Most of Junko’s followers have been wiped out but there are still some devoted groups scattered here and there,” Kyoko said as she gingerly pried the crushed water cup out of Shuichi’s hand. “One such group stole the Future Foundation’s Neo World Program technology and then kidnapped a group of students that were meant to be in the first class of the newly rebuilt Hope’s Peak Academy.

“Instead of using the program to undo trauma sustained in the real world, they tried to do the opposite. They believed if they placed you in a killing game it would induce memories of despair rather than hope. Their intention was to run you all through multiple killing games, effectively converting our pilot class meant to be symbols of hope for the future into despair-driven, traumatized children.”

“Why didn’t I recognize any of you until now?” Shuichi asked, opening his eyes again to see Kyoko tossing the cup in a nearby trash bin. Hajime was halfway to standing, offering his chair to her which she declined with a wave of her hand. “I saw you…that is, I saw Tsumugi as you.”

“Remembering certain things from the virtual world will be like recalling details from a dream,” Hajime explained, sitting back in his seat. “You’ll get it all eventually but you recognized Kyoko more readily because you two met before this whole mess.” Shuichi frowned and began running through his memories again, mentally pushing away any he associated with coming from the flashback lights. At first there was nothing until suddenly a hazy image took form. A woman with lavender hair and a crisp, dark suit knocking of his front door with an envelope in hand and a small but proud smile on her face.

“You delivered the letter of my acceptance into the new Hope’s Peak Academy,” Shuichi murmured with sudden clarity. Kyoko began to smile, the same smile he could see in this resurfaced memory in his head. “It wasn’t traditional to do personal deliveries but you…wanted to congratulate the next Ultimate Detective.”

“Ultimates technically don’t exclusively hold their titles once they graduate.” Kyoko was nodding as she walked back over to Shuichi’s bedside. “Each new class can bring in the same talents as alumni so long as they’re the best at what they do in their cohort.” Bits of conversation pieced together now as the memory solidified more and more.

Kyoko had gone over the scouting process of the newly rebuilt Hope’s Peak Academy and how she had personally overseen his recruitment given the nature of his talent. He would be in the academy’s first class, marked as a symbol of hope for the world as it was being rebuilt following the destruction of the Tragedy. Shuichi’s uncle had trained him as a detective, but unlike the fabricated past he had been given in the killing game, his years working as a detective had been some of the best of his life. He had helped so many people, and there was never an incident where he had imprisoned a man who had turned out to actually be the victim. The people who kidnapped him must have constructed that memory as a way of causing more despair.

“It’s like I’m remembering two separate lives,” Shuichi whimpered through clenched teeth as he reached up to hold his head, eyes squeezing shut. “It hurts.”

“It’s going to be difficult for a little while, trying to separate those false memories from the real ones, but just give it some time,” Hajime admitted, tone sympathetic.

“How did you guys even find us after we were kidnapped?” Shuichi asked, hands dropping back down to his lap. Kyoko turned to Hajime and the two shared a look.

“Can you pull up the recording?” Kyoko asked. Hajime was already standing, reaching into a messenger bag hanging on the back of his chair to retrieve a tablet. He walked over to stand on the other side of Shuichi’s bed, holding up the tablet so the three of them could see the screen.

“Your virtual world was being broadcasted.” Hajime hit play on a video recording and Shuichi was met with a shot of their class trial room. He gathered it must have been mid-debate of the second trial based on the presence of Kirumi and the lack of Ryoma, Kaede, and Rantaro. “Future Foundation managed to block the transmission early so that only we could view it. It was also how we managed to find where they were keeping you and secure the area before the first killing even happened. However, we couldn’t pull you out of the program yet.”

“Why not?” Shuichi questioned, shocked that they had let the killings, virtual as they were, play out. “You could have stopped it.”

“There would have been even greater potential neurological damage had we pulled you out sooner,” Hajime reasoned. He paused the recording and idly scrolled though the other videos stored in the folder. “The people behind this modified the equipment so you could only be pulled out following the death of your avatar. Tampering with it or trying to terminate the program early could have caused seizures, nerve damage, cerebral hemorrhaging, or even death. Sending in an A.I. to kill your avatars was incredibly risky but we didn’t know how long it would take the final three of you to die otherwise.”

“So does that mean…the others, the ones who died in the killing game…” Shuichi trailed off, the implications of what this all meant already swarming in his hazy mind. Kyoko gave a small smile and a nod, confirming the conclusions she could tell he was already arriving at on his own.

“They were all retrieved before you and are currently recovering in their own rooms in the hospital.” Shuichi let out a shaky laugh, grinning as tears began to trail down his cheeks. They were alive, his _friends_ were _alive_. No one had actually died.

“Everyone’s at various stages of recovery, both physically and mentally,” Hajime clarified, walking back over to his chair to return the tablet to the messenger bag. “The longer you were in the game the more your body atrophied from lack of use and proper nutrition in the real world. Also, the more killing or death you experienced, the greater the psychological instability.” He turned back to face Shuichi with an apologetic smile. “You’ll be able to see them all in due time, but it’s a process. At the moment, once you’re well enough for it, we’re going to allow you and the others who were present in the final trial of the game to visit each other.”

“So I can see Maki and Himiko?” Shuichi perked up in his bed, weakly scrubbing at the tear tracks on his face. Kyoko produced a handkerchief from her pocket and handed it to him.

“And K1-B0 as well,” Kyoko added. “We consider him a part of your survivor group.” Shuichi nodded as he dried his face.

“You said I was kidnapped with fifteen other students. Does that mean Tsumugi…” Hajime and Kyoko shared another look, something they seemed fond of doing that was starting to annoy Shuichi.

“Miss Shirogane was actually put through multiple psychotherapeutic rewrites prior to the start of your game in order to mold her into the mastermind role. She experienced more despair and trauma than anyone else in your group.” Shuichi felt his heart drop as Hajime continued. “Her therapy will take much longer than the rest of you. Also, considering her role, we thought it best she be kept separate until you’ve all grasped the ability to separate your roles in the killing game from your real memories.” The idea that Tsumugi had been practically tortured just to force her into the role of their villain made Shuichi’s blood run cold. He had blamed her for so much in the end but she had only been another victim, just like the rest of them.

“As for everyone else, we’ve been holding small therapy groups comprised of killers and their victims.” Kyoko reached into one of her pockets and pulled out a phone. “We thought it best to allow them to reconcile on their own before bringing the entire group together.”

“We’ve also assigned mentors to everyone. Experiencing a killing game is a tragic thing and unfortunately it’s happened more than once.” Hajime gestured to himself. “My own class went through the Neo World Program, similar to you. After taking the blame for a different killing game we all returned to the actual Jabberwock Island and have been living here for a few years now with the protection of the Future Foundation.” He gestured towards Kyoko who was quickly tapping the screen of her phone, seemingly searching for something on it. “Kyoko on the other hand…”

“Our killing game wasn’t virtual so those who were killed were killed for good.” Her voice was flat as she told Shuichi this, the kind of emotionless delivery that seemed to only be covering up deeper, hidden emotions. “The survivors of my class have been working for the Future Foundation and we all came to Jabberwock Island to oversee your recovery.” Kyoko showed Shuichi her phone screen where a list had been pulled up, names of his classmates alongside names that weren’t as familiar, though she scrolled too quickly through it for him to properly read everything. “All the students from your class have been assigned mentors from our classes. The matches were based on similarities in talents or similarities in experiences.”

“The mentors will aid in the healing process, having already been through it to some degree themselves.”

“I’m guessing you’re my mentor,” Shuichi presumed, pointing at Kyoko. The former Ultimate Detective gave a smile and nod as she tucked away her phone. Shuichi let out a deep breath and closed his eyes. “This…this is so much to take in.”

“We understand.” Hajime’s voice was so unmistakably empathetic, it put Shuichi a bit more at ease. “Why don’t we let you get some more rest and give you time to process.” Shuichi nodded and opened his eyes again to see Hajime pointing at a small control panel of buttons built into the hospital bed. “If you press that button there it’ll signal to Mikan that you need something. Either she or another mentor doing rounds will help you out.”

“I’ll be checking in daily but if you ever need me when I’m not around just let Mikan or another mentor know and I’ll come straight here,” Kyoko promised. Hajime took his messenger bag and, with a quick nod to the two of them, exited the room. Kyoko waited for the door to full click shut before she turned back to Shuichi, taking one of his hands in hers. “Shuichi, I want you to know something,” She began, tone so serious and careful that Shuichi focused fully on her words. “As you recall more and more of your real memories, they aren’t all going to be pleasant. You may be tempted to believe some of the false memories they gave you, simply because they hurt less than reality. But you can’t do that.” She squeezed his hand and gave a melancholy smile before letting go and moving to exit the room. “Reality can hurt sometimes but at the end of the day, it needs to be faced.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all your comments, both constructive and complimentary. They honestly inspire me to keep writing this.

By the end of the first day Shuichi remembered that his family was dead.

He remembered people storming into this home one night, their faces hidden by Monokuma masks. They were armed with guns and barbed-wire covered bats. He remembered his father being shot before he could even stand up from the couch. They attacked his mother when she walked out of the kitchen to see what was happening. Shuichi remembered begging for help as they dragged him from his home and threw him in the back of a van until they finally gagged him and stuck a needle in his arm, injecting him with some sort of drug that knocked him out in seconds.

Shuichi was still crying when Kyoko came to check on him, bearing a tray of food. She had set the tray down, walked over to his side, and quietly held his hand until he stopped crying.

Shuichi asked her if his parents were really dead and she replied that they were. He asked her if they knew where his uncle was, if they knew if he was still alive. She squeezed his hand and said that they hadn’t been able to track him down yet. The remnants of despair who kidnapped Shuichi and the others had tried their best to kill everyone’s family members. The Future Foundation was still in the process of tracking down any next of kin who may have survived.

Kyoko managed to coax him into eating a small amount of fruit and sip some warm broth, foods to help ease his stomach back into eating after fasting for so long. She had also brought along some books for this visit, mystery novels she claimed had good enough plots that she _almost_ didn’t solve them before the big reveal. She held out the assortment and allowed him to pick first before choosing one for herself from the stack. They sat in a companionable silence as they read, Shuichi occasionally needing to pause as a new memory resurfaced to replace a false one. In those moments Kyoko would pause too, marking her place in her book and looking up to see if Shuichi had a new question for her.

Shuichi must have fallen asleep at some point, awakened the next morning by Mikan who was making rounds and reassessing vitals. The novel he had been reading was placed on a table by his bedside within reaching distance and a bookmark had been slipped inside to mark his page.

Kyoko visited again that morning as Shuichi was attempting more solid food for breakfast. She was accompanied by a man who Shuichi eventually recognized as Makoto Naegi. Hajime’s class, the 77th, and Kyoko’s class, the 78th, all looked a bit different from how they appeared in the history book they had found in Kokichi’s lab in the academy. Though it made sense considering they were all in their mid-twenties now, no longer teenagers in high school.

Makoto was there to formally introduce himself as the new headmaster of the rebuilt Hope’s Peak Academy. He was also there to apologize for not doing more to protect Shuichi and the other students in the pilot class.

“You had no way of knowing-” Shuichi had tried to argue.

“We should have anticipated some sort of attack on the academy,” Makoto maintained. “You were all symbols of shining hope for the future and we should have done more to protect that.”

Makoto had excused himself then, explaining he was off to introduce himself to Maki and Himiko as well as check in on his own mentee in the hospital which left Shuichi wondering who his mentee might be. Kyoko had removed the remains of Shuichi’s attempt at breakfast and brought tea back for the both of them. As they settled back into their quiet period of reading Shuichi felt more memories resurface, likely triggered by Makoto’s visit.

Shuichi remembered seeing the news reports of rumors that Hope’s Peak Academy was being rebuilt. There was plenty of backlash and controversy surrounding the project considering the original academy had been ground zero for the Tragedy and was exposed for using tuition money to fund human experimentation projects. Shuichi had seen Makoto’s face many times once an official announcement had been made confirming that the academy was being rebuilt. It helped that he had been a survivor of his killing game, it garnered sympathy and established him as a victim who only meant well.

It also helped that he had been backed by the Future Foundation, the organization comprised of Hope’s Peak alumni whose goal was to undo the damage that despair had inflicted on society. Shuichi recalled them being instrumental in the battle against despair which clearly made them a target. While the aftermath of the Tragedy was still at its peak, the leaders of each foundation branch had been thrown into their own killing game. Suddenly Shuichi felt a chill down his spine as he also remembered the 77th class taking responsibility for orchestrating it.

“They took the blame for it,” Kyoko had explained when he questioned her about it, fear settling in at the thought that he was on the same island as the people who set up a killing game. “The person behind it was Kazuo Tengan, a former Hope’s Peak Director and leader of the Future Foundation at the time. His reasons for doing so,” She quickly added. “were complicated. Regardless, the news that the foundation’s leader had created a killing game would have been devastating had it gotten out.”

“So they made themselves the enemy?” Shuichi frowned as he recalled their broadcast, the fifteen imposing silhouettes declaring that the world needed a little more despair to keep it interesting and how they’d be responsible for providing it. Shuichi could hardly associate it with the members of the 77th class he had met so far.

“They knew the world needed an organization they could trust to help rebuild society. They claimed responsibility and fled so the Future Foundation could preserve credibility.”

“But that’s horrible.” Shuichi couldn’t imagine shouldering such a blame when they were innocent of the crime. “They’re stuck here on the island while the whole world thinks they’re the bad guys.”

Kyoko gave a small shrug and turned back to her book, flipping a page. “They accepted it as their penance,” She mused. “I believe the self-isolation made it easier for them to live with the things they did as remnants of despair.” Kyoko glanced back up from the book to see Shuichi still frowning, his own book abandoned in his lap. She sighed, slipped a bookmark in hers, and walked over to his bedside. “To them, it’s not all that bad. They still have each other.” Shuichi didn’t respond, choosing instead to look down and run his fingers along the spine of his book. Kyoko pursed her lips before giving a smile. “Speaking of which, Mikan and I were thinking we could get you out of bed later today, see if you’re up for walking or at least moving about in a wheelchair.” Shuichi raised his head a bit, looking over at Kyoko with interest now. “Maybe visit some friends.”

At that suggestion Shuichi fully perked up, his eyes widening as a grin split across his face. “Are you serious?” Kyoko chuckled and gave a nod.

“According to her mentor, your friend Maki has been trying to get out of bed since the first minute she woke up. I think it’d do us all some good to let her see a familiar face or two.”

After that Kyoko had called Mikan into the room to give Shuichi some physical therapy exercises to help his muscles get used to moving again. He was no longer as weak as he had been when he first woke up, likely due to the food he’d been able to consume, but the movement still proved difficult. By the time the rays of the setting sun were filtering through his window, Shuichi had managed to sit up in bed on his own and swing his legs over the side. Beyond that he needed assistance with standing and walking but Mikan assured him it was a very good start.

Kyoko left the room for a moment to give them privacy as Mikan helped him change from the hospital gown he had woken up in to a set of soft blue pajamas and a robe. His mentor returned with a wheelchair and helped him settle into it before they all took a short break.

“You’re doing great so far,” Mikan commended, kneeling to check his pedal pulse and the sensory function in his feet.

“Was it this difficult for you when you woke up from your game?” Shuichi asked, fiddling with the belt of his robe. Mikan shook her head as she stood back up.

“Our program was set up to help us so we were connected to IVs that gave us fluids and nutrients,” She explained. “You were also under for a lot longer than we were.”

Shuichi nodded and turned to Kyoko. “So I only get to see Maki, Himiko, and K1-B0?” He asked, to which Kyoko nodded and motioned to Mikan to open the door to his room.

“Just for now,” She confirmed as she wheeled them out and the three of them started down a hallway. “The other students are moved from their rooms at specific times for therapy so that no one runs into someone they shouldn’t. Everyone else is in their room right now while you, Maki, Himiko, and K1-B0 get escorted to a lounge.”

Shuichi had noticed his own door’s window was blacked out with a curtain and he could now see it was the same for other rooms he passed. He couldn’t help but wonder which of his classmates he was passing right now, who he had been sleeping just down the hall from this whole time. The three of them paused as one of the doors they passed began to open.

“Don’t worry, I see this going totally great!” A man with long, dark dreadlocks drawn back into a ponytail stepped backwards out of the room, pushing the door open with his back as he pulled someone in a wheelchair with him. “And remember, I’m right at least thirty percent of the time.”

“I’m still convinced that’s not as good a success rate as you think it is,” Said another voice coming from the person in the wheelchair. The man spun around completely and Shuichi could finally see the source of the voice, though he had already recognized who it belonged to.

“Himiko?” The red-headed girl’s eyes went impossibly wide, starkly different from her typical lazily lidded gaze, as she saw Shuichi. She was troublingly even thinner than he remembered her being, dark shadows staining the skin beneath her eyes, but just having her there in front of him was the best thing Shuichi had seen since waking up.

“Shuichi?” Himiko gave a hesitant smile as she extended her hand which Shuichi immediately grabbed and gave a comforting squeeze. “I can’t believe it.”

“Oh hey, party in the hallway!” The man pushing Himiko’s wheelchair properly closed the door behind him before turning to face the group. Shuichi heard Kyoko give an exasperated yet fond sounding chuckle from behind him. “You must be Shuichi. Nice to meet you little dude, the name’s Yasuhiro Hagakure but you can call me Hiro.”

“Nice to meet you too,” Shuichi responded, still holding onto Himiko’s hand. “Are all the mentors going to be with us?”

“Just escorting,” Kyoko explained, beginning to push his wheelchair down the hall again. He let go of Himiko but Yasuhiro followed close by with her wheelchair so they could stay near each other. “We’ll be nearby if you need anything but we’re giving you guys some privacy.” The group continued on until they arrived at another door, this one left partially open. Light and voices filtered through the opening, the voices quieting as Mikan opened the door fully.

It was a lounge, like they said, probably intended for staff to relax during shifts. There was a television mounted to one wall, a small kitchenette along another, and leather couches and ottomans scattered about. And sitting on one of these couches were Maki and K1-B0, with a pink-haired man and a gray-haired woman with a shinai strapped to her back standing near them.

Maki and K1-B0 visibly brightened upon seeing Shuichi and Himiko as they were wheeled into the room, immediately moving to stand and make their way towards them. Although while K1-B0 stood with no issue, Maki’s legs seemed to buckle beneath her. K1-B0 grabbed one of her arms to steady her while the gray-haired woman grabbed the other.

“I know you were able to walk here without much assistance but you really need to take it slow,” The woman chastised, settling Maki back down onto the couch.

“Peko, I’m fine. Just let me-” Maki weakly pushed her away and attempted to push herself up from the couch again.

“How about we come to you,” Kyoko suggested, reaching out her arm to Shuichi to help him stand up out of the wheelchair. He wrapped it around her shoulder and managed to shuffle over to the couch, dropping down to sit with Maki. The girl wrapped him in a hug, crushing his lungs with a surprising amount of strength despite how exhausted she seemed to look. Yasuhiro took a less assistive approach, choosing instead to simply pick Himiko up bridal-style and carry her over to the couch.

K1-B0 joined them and the four survivors sat together on the couch, unbothered by how they squished together as they exchanged hugs and muffled phrases like “_I missed you_” or “_I can’t believe this is real_”.

“We’ll leave you guys to catch up.” Shuichi looked over to see the mentors gathered by the door, the pink-haired man being the one who spoke. “Keebo, you know how to reach me directly with the radio we installed.” K1-B0 nodded and tapped at his wrist, likely where said communicator had been fitted.

“Yes, thank you Kazuichi.” With that the mentors left the room, leaving the survivors to hold each other on the couch in a comforting silence. There was a clock in the room telling them it was already evening, the passing seconds being marked by a steady tick. Himiko was the one to finally speak, fatigue muddling her words.

“Did that pink guy have shark teeth or am I just way too sleepy?”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact, hot chocolate or chocolate milk mixed with coffee is fuckin bomb

The survivors sat in silence for a short while, still wrapped up in one another on their couch. At one point K1-B0, the only one who didn’t suffer the same atrophy that the rest of them did, stood to fetch blankets stocked in a closet in the room.

“There’s a coffee machine in the kitchen area,” He noted as he carried the blankets back. “I can make some for you guys.” He pointedly looked at Himiko when he offered this, the small girl very close to nodding off. He dropped the pile of blankets in her lap, snapping her awake.

“I’m here!” Himiko shot up in her seat, rubbing at her eyes.

“Normally I’d say no since it’s so late,” Maki said, pausing to stifle a small yawn. “but I really want to stay up and talk with the rest of you.”

“Nyeeeh, but coffee tastes gross,” Himiko complained. Shuichi gave a thoughtful hum and looked over at the kitchen area, searching the counter from afar.

“Keebo, are there any packets of hot chocolate over there?” He asked. Maki reached over him to grab the stack of blankets and began draping them over the group. “Or chocolate milk maybe? I used to drink coffee to stay up late and work on cases but I hated the taste at first. Mixing it with chocolate usually helped.” K1-B0 began searching through the cabinets, gradually pulling out different things. A container of instant coffee, a box of sugar packets, and coffee cups all collected on the counter until finally K1-B0 made a pleased sound and triumphantly held up a box of hot chocolate packets.

Eventually, sans K1-B0, they all had their warm drinks in hand. Shuichi watched as Himiko sipped at her mixture of coffee and hot chocolate suspiciously to see if she liked it and felt a bit proud when he saw a smile grow on her face.

“So have they let you guys see anyone else yet?” Maki asked, blowing at her black coffee to cool it down. She glanced up at Shuichi. “Like Kaede, have you seen her?” Shuichi shook his head and shrugged.

“No, you guys are the first ones I’ve seen.”

“Same here,” Himiko said. “I asked to see Tenko or Angie but they said it wasn’t time yet.”

“I have the same mentor as Miu, but he won’t tell me much about her,” K1-B0 shared. “Just that she’s been recovering well.”

“I’m guessing you asked to see Kaito,” Shuichi deduced, prompting a vibrant blush to bloom on Maki’s cheeks as she tried to hide her face behind her coffee cup. “Hajime said that we get to see each other because we were all in the final trial.”

“I was informed the other therapy groups are comprised of killers and their victims,” K1-B0 said as he stood and walked over to the curtained windows on one side of the room. He pulled back a curtain, peered out into the night, and let the curtain fall shut again. “I suppose the intention is isolated damage control before we all see each other as a group.”

“Yeah, that’s what I was told,” Shuichi confirmed.

“That would mean Kaito’s with Kokichi.” Maki’s tone had turned cold, body tense as if she intended to leave the room that second to track down and protect Kaito.

“I don’t think that’s something we need to worry about.” Shuichi proposed, sighing at the skeptical glare Maki sent his way in response. “Think about it, we had so many fabricated memories forced into our heads in that program. Who knows if people have the same motivations or ideals as they did in the game?”

“Yes, like how I’m not actually a tool meant for audience participation.” K1-B0 grinned and tapped the metal ahoge on the top of his head.

“No more ‘inner voice’ telling you what to do?” Shuichi checked. 

“Well, I do still have my own conscience of sorts,” K1-B0 explained. “But it’s quite different from how it was in the game.” Shuichi pondered this for a moment, considering the implications of K1-B0’s A.I. allowing him to have his own conscience and what other traits it could let him have.

“Have you been getting your real memories back too?” Shuichi tested, wondering how memories worked for him. K1-B0 nodded and made his way back over the couch.

“I’ve remembered that my creator, Professor Idabashi, is a real person,” K1-B0 paused, his grin falling as he looked to the floor. “…_was_ a real person. He was…killed when I was taken.”

Shuichi and Himiko fell silent, not used to falling into the role of comforting others. To the surprise of both of them it was Maki who made the first move. She set down her coffee on a nearby table and reached over to take K1-B0’s hand, pulling him over to sit beside her. She kept his hand in hers and placed her other hand on top.

“He meant a lot to you, didn’t he.” Her voice was soft, laced with understanding and lacking pity. K1-B0 blinked in surprise, momentarily caught off guard by her actions, before he gave a melancholy smile.

“He was my father, essentially.” He gave a small shrug as Maki sympathetically nodded her head. Shuichi was struck with the sudden realization that if Maki’s background from the game still held true, she had already known what it was like to grow up without parents. Not only that, she had been surrounded by others who lost their families as well and likely developed a natural instinct to comfort that sort of pain.

“They killed my mom,” Himiko shared with a shaky voice, the group turning their attention towards her. Maki gave a supportive smile to encourage her to say more. “My mentor said they’re trying to track down the magician I apprenticed under but they haven’t found him yet.” The corner of Himiko’s mouth twitched up into the beginnings of a smile despite the tears gathering in her eyes. “At least it’s nice having Yasuhiro around as a mentor. It’s like having a goofy older brother.”

“What’s his talent?” K1-B0 asked.

“The Ultimate Clairvoyant,” Himiko said the title like she was introducing a performer to the stage, complete with half-hearted jazz hands. Her hands dropped back down into her lap as she let out a chuckle. “who’s only right an amazing thirty percent of the time. Like, I know my magic’s not actually real but at least my tricks have a higher success rate than that.” Shuichi remained silent but mentally noted Himiko’s admittance that her tricks were not genuine magic. She had been so adamant that it was real in the game to the point that it started to interfere with class trials, but perhaps that had been the intention of the people who placed them in the game. Heighten a belief or amplify negative personality traits and suddenly you’ve got a much more complicated participant.

“Kazuichi’s the Ultimate Mechanic. He describes me as a marvel like no other he’s seen before.” Shuichi was happy to see K1-B0’s proper smile had returned as he spoke of his mentor. “The way he puts it, he’s ‘been there, done that’ with powerful robots but he’s never come across one that’s quite so close to being human. He says that’s why I’ve earned the title of Ultimate.”

“Kyoko’s the former Ultimate Detective.” Shuichi casually tossed the detail into the conversation but the response it received was significantly more than he anticipated.

“You have the same ultimate talent?” Himiko asked, eyes wide as she looked at Shuichi, the coffee clearly doing its job. “Is that allowed?” The question was whispered, like them having the same talent was a yet to be discovered crime. Shuichi simply shrugged.

“Apparently.” He glanced over at Maki, wondering why she had been quiet for a while, only to see her observing the rest of them with a soft smile on her face. She had let go of K1-B0 and was absentmindedly playing with her hair which Shuichi now noticed was done up in loose braids rather than her normal twintails, tied with the same white ribbons Shuichi had seen in Peko’s hair. “Maki?”

Calling her name seemed to snap her out of some sort of reverie. She blinked and let go of her hair, tightly clasping her hands together and placing them on her lap. In response to Shuichi’s now worried expression she gave a short chuckle.

“Sorry, I just…” She shook her head and looked away. “Ignore me.”

“Who was the woman with you, Maki?” Shuichi asked.

“That was Peko. She’s the Ultimate Swordswoman.”

“Huh, pretty appropriate match for an assassin I suppose.” K1-B0 commented, though rather than agreeing Maki seemed to grow nervous.

“About that…” Maki began, reaching to lightly tug at one of the white ribbons. “Ultimate Assassin was actually never my real talent.”

“Ultimate…child…caregiver?” Himiko tried, wondering if the talent she had pretended to have in the beginning was her true title. Maki shook her head.

“Not that either. I was given a false talent for the game, probably to inspire distrust and make me more threatening,” She guessed. “Shortly after I woke up I remembered I was actually scouted for Hope’s Peak as the Ultimate Bodyguard.”

“Really?” Shuichi was surprised. He was aware that people’s memories would be different, and even their beliefs could change from how they were in the game, but he had never considered the possibility that someone’s talent could have been altered.

“I still grew up in the orphanage,” Maki continued. “A man stopped by one day who wasn’t looking to adopt, just check in and see that things were running smoothly. He worked security for one of our wealthier donors and I guess he saw potential in me from how I protected and cared for the younger kids.” She gave a small smile, gaze not quite focused on anything as she recalled her true memories with a fondness Shuichi had never see from her. “He was nice, gave me a lot of good connections and work. The training was much less aggressive than how I remembered it in the game. I know it’s not that different, still sort of a violent talent, but at least my primary purpose is to protect rather than attack.”

“So does Peko still make a good mentor for your talent?” K1-B0 wondered, Maki nodding in response.

“She’s skilled with a katana but more often uses the shinai for non-lethal fighting. And she’s actually been a personal bodyguard for one of the other Ultimates in the 77th class. They grew up with each other.” Maki gave a playful smile, ducking her head and lowering her voice like she was a child sharing a secret. “From the way she talks about him, I think she likes him.” The group laughed at Maki’s theory, spirits high at seeing how much more carefree Maki seemed to be now that she knew her true talent.

“But see, this is what I mean,” Shuichi argued, looping the conversation back to his previous point. “Your talent changed, Himiko is more pragmatic about her magic tricks, our backgrounds are different, and I’m sure we’ll see more changes from the others in our class. Besides, Kaito’s always been just fine dealing with Kokichi, regardless of any changes.” Maki let out a breath and gave Shuichi a weary smile, a silent thanks for the attempt at reassuring her.

The group fell into companionable conversation, sharing happier memories they had been recalling since waking up and anecdotes from the time they had spent with their mentors. They finished their drinks and pushed away the desire to sleep so they could spend more time together. At one point Shuichi had been sure Himiko had fallen asleep anyway from how quiet she became, so it shocked him when she finally spoke again.

“Do you guys ever wonder...if this is still all fake?” She asked. The rest of the group fell silent, not at all surprised by her words because they had unknowingly all been having the same thoughts. “Like we’ll wake up and be back in that academy or maybe somewhere worse.”

“I don’t think it matters,” Shuichi declared after a moment. “We’re here now…together. Instead of wondering if that’s going to end we should just focus on enjoying it.” The group mulled over his words, deciding if they wanted to believe in such a mentality.

“As always, Shuichi is right.” K1-B0 commended, eliciting an incredulous chuckle from the Ultimate Detective.

“I’m not always right.”

“Are you kidding?” Maki now joined in the arguing. “You got us through every single one of those class trials, you ran the show.”

“Yeah, those trials would have been chaotic without you keeping us on track,” Himiko added.

“I’m just happy to be done with those.” Shuichi had hated the trials, not only because of the fact that it meant they had lost one peer to a killing and were about to lose another to their execution. The necessity of weeding out the culprit to protect the remainder of the class meant he personally had to condemn someone to their death. As a detective he only ever needed to solve the case, the rest had been taken care of by the police and the courts. He never needed to see anything through to its potentially gruesome end.

“I don’t know if we’re entirely done with them,” Maki said, pulling Shuichi from his thoughts with a start.

“And what makes you say that?” He cautiously asked her, wondering if he should expect to hear a body discovery announcement over the hospital speakers.

“Something tells me that when the entire group meets it’s going to feel pretty similar to a class trial,” She predicted, the rest of the group grimacing as the realization set in that Maki was right. “One thing I learned in that program is that we don’t need death for an excuse to start an argument.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm about to start adding..._so many_ character tags

“Remember what I told you,” Kyoko said as she walked down the hall of the hospital with Shuichi trailing beside her, finally able to walk on his own without assistance. It had been days since he met with K1-B0, Himiko, and Maki. Ever since then he had worked on recovering from his atrophy to be able to walk, realizing it was one of the major factors the mentors were waiting on before they’d bring everyone together as a group. “You’re allowed to leave at any time, if you ever feel at all uncomfortable.”

“I know,” Shuichi responded for the seventh time that morning. The two of them entered the elevator on their floor and pressed the button for the lobby.

“And you don’t need to share anything you don’t want to,” She continued. “You don’t need to explain anything or even talk to anyone, it’s only what you’re comfortable-”

“Kyoko.” The former Ultimate Detective stopped her worried ramblings and looked at Shuichi who gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile despite the anxiety twisting in his stomach. “It’ll be fine.”

Kyoko let out a breath, her shoulders slumping as her lips curved into an apologetic smile. Shuichi had never seen his normally level-headed and composed mentor this flustered. She had been that way all morning, pacing back and forth in his hospital room. She had also been fussing over him, repeatedly questioning if he was ready for this which resulted in them being some of the last ones to head towards the cafeteria where everyone was meeting. At least on his floor, every room had its door open and a quick glance inside showed it was empty of its previous occupant.

“I apologize,” Kyoko said, pulling at the cuffs of her blazer as the incredibly slow elevator brought them further down. “I never had a chance like this, to see my classmates again.” She glanced at Shuichi and, at seeing his sympathetic expression, quickly clarified her point. “That’s not meant to be interpreted as sentimental longing. I would never _want_ to see most of my classmates again. You’ll be seeing people who killed your friends and are essentially getting away with it.”

“But no one really died,” Shuichi argued as the elevator finally stopped on the ground floor. As he and Kyoko stepped out he began to hear a cacophony of voices, some of them new and some of them very familiar.

“Just because there was no consequence doesn’t mean there was never a crime,” Kyoko replied as the two walked towards the source of all the voices, Shuichi contemplating her words for a moment as he walked into the cafeteria. It was a large space made even more open by the fact that all the tables and chairs had been stacked and pushed off to the edge save for a set of chairs that had been arranged in a circle in the middle of the room. Shuichi was snapped out of his thoughts by a very familiar voice and a flash of blonde hair as he was suddenly dragged into a crushing hug.

“It’s about time you got here, you fucking virgin!”

“Miu?!” The girl in his arms pulled back so Shuichi could properly face her. Miu had her signature cocky grin on her face as she regarded Shuichi.

“The one and only.” She winked and finally released him from her grip. Shuichi looked around and finally noticed just how many people were in the room. Most of his class, so many faces he thought he’d never see again, with their respective mentors standing nearby.

And everyone was looking at him.

Shuichi hadn’t felt the need to hide his face for a while but now he was wishing he had a cap to do it. He let out a nervous chuckle and looked back at Miu who was now looking over her shoulder. Shuichi followed her line of sight and saw she was looking at K1-B0 and Kazuichi who were walking towards them. Miu must have been standing with them before she ran over to hug him.

“Hello again, Shuichi,” K1-B0 greeted before turning to scold Miu. “You shouldn’t run off like that.”

“Are you having trouble keeping track of your mentees, Kazuichi?” Kyoko asked playfully from beside Shuichi. The Ultimate Mechanic laughed and leisurely rested his hands behind his head.

“Listen, I have _two_ of them to look after. Cut me some slack.” Miu suddenly perked up as if she remembered something and began to scan the room.

“Can I go talk to Gonta before the meeting starts?” She asked, looking to Kazuichi for permission.

“I’m supposed to be present when you two are together,” He reminded her before turning to K1-B0. “Are you okay staying with Shuichi?” At K1-B0’s affirmative nod, Kazuichi and Miu excused themselves and went off in search of Gonta.

“It’s insane, isn’t it?” Shuichi jumped at the new voice coming from behind him, only to turn and find Maki standing there with a smile. Peko stood behind her and gave a small nod to their group in greeting. “Seeing everyone again.”

“It certainly is,” K1-B0 agreed. Shuichi nodded as well as he looked around the room again, this time paying closer attention to who was there.

Himiko was standing with Tenko, the two happily talking as Himiko occasionally gave a wary glance over to the side where Angie stood chatting with Korekiyo. Korekiyo, like everyone else in Shuichi’s class, was dressed in hospital pajamas and a robe but he also had a black surgical mask covering his mouth. He looked nervous, arms wrapped around himself like he was trying to hide. A woman with long blonde hair stood beside him, her hand placed comfortingly on his back. A frail looking man with light brown hair and a woman with short red hair stood behind Angie, the two of them looking at whatever was on the camera that hung around the red-head’s neck.

Ryoma and Kirumi were already seated within the circle of chairs, talking with Rantaro and Kaede who stood nearby. Makoto was beside Rantaro, reading something from the tablet he held in his hands. Kyoko must have seen Makoto at the same time as she excused herself and started walking towards him.

As if she could sense someone watching her, Kaede looked up and locked eyes with Shuichi. Shuichi sucked in a breath and began to raise his hand to wave before Kaede’s face twisted into a frown and she quickly looked away. Shuichi’s hand dropped to his side, the knot in his stomach tightening further. Had he done something wrong before he even got to talk to her? Before he could even begin to question what he might’ve done, K1-B0 said something that made him spin quickly back to face the cafeteria entrance.

“Kaito!” The Ultimate Robot began walking away from Maki and Shuichi, the two of them quickly following after once they saw Kaito had walked into the cafeteria, Kokichi inexplicably being carried on his back. The two of them were followed by Hajime and another mentor, a man as short as Kokichi with a blond crew cut and a long scar running vertically across his right eye.

“Why are you carrying him?” Shuichi asked, him and Maki stopping just a few feet away from the pair to join K1-B0. The scarred blond quietly walked away from the group in the direction of Peko, the two stepping a bit away to privately converse. Kokichi looked over Kaito’s shoulder at Shuichi with a frown.

“Maki paralyzed me when she shot me with the crossbow so now I can’t walk,” Kokichi answered, directing his melancholy gaze toward a now frozen Maki.

“What?!” Shuichi exclaimed, eyes going wide with shock and worry.

“_Kokichi_,” Kaito whined with disapproval as he unceremoniously dropped Kokichi, the boy landing on his feet with only a minor stumble_._ “I said I was only going to give you a piggy back ride if you were_ nice_. That includes not lying.” Kokichi laughed and put his hands behind his head, a mischievous smile growing on his face.

“Oh come on, that was one of the weakest lies I’ve ever told,” He argued. “We were in a virtual world. If no one’s death carried over then neither would the injuries.” Shuichi heard Hajime let out a sigh before he placed a hand on Kaito’s shoulder.

“You’re fine with him, right? I need to go check in with Makoto.” Kaito nodded and Hajime began to walk away, reaching out to softly hit the arm of the blond talking with Peko as he passed them. “Don’t let them fight, Fuyuhiko.”

“No promises,” Fuyuhiko responded with a smirk.

“Still as deplorable as ever, I see,” Maki bit out, glaring at Kokichi. Her stance had become more relaxed once the ruse was revealed. Shuichi realized with a start how concerned she must have been thinking she may have paralyzed someone, regardless of the fact that it was Kokichi.

“Aw Maki, how nice to see you,” Kokichi greeted, a mocking cheerfulness in his voice. “I saw you still didn’t kill anyone even after Kaito bit the dust. Good for you.”

“You better watch what you say, asshole,” Maki warned, hands tightening into fists by her sides. “Injuries are a little more permanent out here.” Kokichi’s grin widened even more at her response.

“Oooooh, are you gonna try strangling me again?” He asked, his own hands coming up in front of him in a gesture of excitement. Maki took a step towards him but before Shuichi could reach out to pull her back Kaito had already stepped between her and Kokichi.

“Alright, alright, alright.” Kaito raised his arms to block Kokichi who continued to grin behind the taller man. Maki let out a quiet noise, confused by Kaito’s protectiveness. Kaito frowned and turned to face Kokichi, pointing a finger at him. “_You_, go take a walk.” Kokichi’s grin fell as he went cross eyed staring at the finger.

“But I wanted to…” He began to protest, now looking over at Shuichi. The Ultimate Detective blinked, wondering why Kokichi’s attention was suddenly directed at him.

“_Now_,” Kaito ordered. Kokichi huffed but shockingly listened, walking away with a pout. Shuichi watched as he wandered over to two other mentors, a blond man and the woman he had previously seen standing with Korekiyo, who greeted Kokichi with smiles as he began to converse with them. Kaito sighed and scratched the back of his head. “I’m sorry about that, you guys. He promised he’d behave, but…well, it’s Kokichi,” He explained, sounding a bit sheepish.

“He walked away,” K1-B0 pointed out, sounding as surprised as the rest of the group felt. “He actually _listened_ to you.”

“Hm? Oh, well…I guess he does listen to me a bit more now,” Kaito admitted, looking back over at where Kokichi had gone. “We spent a lot of therapy time together before this.”

“And how did that go?”

“Slow.” Kaito gave a thoughtful nod of his head, grimacing a bit. “Really slow. It’s tough for him to trust people so…”

“Oh, it’s tough for _him_ to trust people?” Maki repeated, incredulous. Kaito looked back over at her and blinked and, as if he suddenly realized who was standing before him, gave a wide smile.

“Aw come on, Maki Roll.” Kaito’s voice went soft as he opened up his arms, his left arm properly covered by the sleeve of his robe while his right arm hung outside of it. “Do you really wanna talk about Kokichi when you haven’t even given me a proper hug yet?” Shuichi heard Maki suck in a breath before she was sprinting the remaining few feet that separated her from Kaito, wrapping her arms around him as he wrapped his own around her. Maki must have said something Shuichi couldn’t hear, muffled from her face pressing into his chest, because Kaito responded with a quiet “_I missed you too_”. When the two finally separated Kaito proceeded to swipe Shuichi and K1-B0 into a hug as well.

“Man, it’s so good to see you guys again,” He said as he took a step back, wrapping his arm back around Maki’s shoulders to pull her close. “And let me tell you, it is _so_ great not actually being sick like I was in the program.”

“So Hajime’s your mentor?” Shuichi noted, amusedly watching the blush on Maki’s face grow deeper as Kaito pulled her closer. “I don’t think I was ever told what his talent is. Does it relate to space?”

“Uh, he’s a little complicated in the talent department,” Kaito explained, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. “Technically, yes, he’s got a talent related to space…but he also-”

“Can I have everyone’s attention please!” Kaito was cut off by a sudden announcement from Makoto. Everyone in the room turned to see him standing on one of the chairs to be more visible, Kyoko looking up at him like she expected him to fall at any moment. “It looks like we’re all here so we’re going to start the meeting. Mentees, please take a seat in one of these chairs. Mentors, if you’d like you can stand behind your mentee.”

Everyone did as they were told, choosing seats within the circle. As Shuichi looked around he realized while he had sat with the others in his survivor group, every other pair or trio sitting together was comprised of killers and their victims. The individual therapy groups must have worked wonders if it made all of them gravitate towards one another after what had happened.

Shuichi _had_ attempted to sit with Kaede and maybe get a chance to ask her if he had done something wrong, but before he got close Rantaro took the only available seat remaining to the right of her since Kirumi sat to her left. Shuichi took the seat to the right of Rantaro instead as Maki took the seat to the right of Shuichi. He saw her glaring and didn’t even need to look to know it was in the direction of Kokichi who Kaito had gone to sit next to. Kyoko had rejoined Shuichi, silently standing behind him.

“As all of you know by now, my name is Makoto Naegi and I am the headmaster of the newly rebuilt Hope’s Peak Academy,” Makoto began when everyone was finally settled. He gestured back to a bespectacled blond man, the same one Shuichi had seen Kokichi talking to, standing behind him. “And this is Byakuya Togami, current head of the Future Foundation’s third division and the academy’s talent scout.”

“At a minimum we’d like you to share your name, your talent, and your status in the game,” Byakuya instructed. “Anything more than that is up to you. Those of you who left the program earlier were updated with non-explicit details regarding each subsequent killing and execution as they occurred. The decision to share any further specifics regarding a death is yours alone.”

“I think we’ll start with the survivor group if it’s alright with you guys.” Makoto looked to the group of them sitting to his left for confirmation. K1-B0, Himiko, Maki, and Shuichi all looked between one another for a brief moment for unanimous approval before K1-B0 started his introduction.

For the four of them introductions were mostly uneventful considering they had no part in killing or being killed. K1-B0 was a bit of an exception, sharing how he destroyed the academy before self-destructing to destroy the dome. Shuichi heard Miu shout a quiet “_hell yeah bitch” _from across the circle when he shared this.

The other notable introduction belonged to Maki who was able to finally share the fact that her true talent was Ultimate Bodyguard. Shuichi found himself looking over to Kaito to see his reaction to the reveal, unsurprised that he looked like he had stars in his eyes as he grinned at seeing Maki look so happy to bear her proper title. What Shuichi didn’t expect was what he saw when he caught a glimpse of Kokichi sitting beside him. Kokichi looked borderline horrified at the announcement, though when he saw Shuichi was looking at him he quickly schooled his features back into playful indifference.

Once Shuichi had shared his introduction everyone looked back to Makoto. The new headmaster was softly smiling and gave a nod of his head in thanks for the four of them kick-starting the discussion before he turned to look expectantly at Rantaro.

“Now then,” Byakuya said, pushing his white framed glasses up the bridge of his nose as a calculating smile settled into place. “Let’s start from the beginning, shall we?”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh boy, here we go

“Hey guys, I’m Rantaro Amami, nice to see you all again. I know I didn’t stick around for very long in the program but I look forward to getting to know all of you this time around.” Rantaro gave a wave of his hand as he smiled, his carefree attitude clearly carrying on even outside of the program. “As for my talent, that’s a tricky one. In the program I couldn’t remember it and then I guess they made me the Ultimate Survivor or something?” He shrugged and looked over at Shuichi and the survivor group who had made it long enough in the program to hear his talent revealed. Shuichi merely shrugged back and gave a small nod in answer, prompting Rantaro to chuckle before turning to address the room again. “Weird. Honestly I thought I’d be the Ultimate Adventurer, or at least, that’s what I remembered people used to call me. But when I got my memories back then I remembered I’m this class’s Ultimate Lucky Student!”

“That’s a…talent?” Ryoma asked, voicing the same thought going through everyone else’s head.

“The talent of luck has been studied at Hope’s Peak for many years,” Makoto explained. “Each year a nationwide draw for enrollment into the academy is conducted with the winner earning the title of Ultimate Lucky Student.” The man frowned and shook his head. “It’s…unprecedented to say the least. Rantaro actually _was_ originally being scouted as the Ultimate Adventurer but then he won the draw.”

“He somehow won _despite_ the fact that we don’t include scouted students in the list of participants for the draw,” Byakuya clarified, almost sounding irritated by the anomaly. “We decided his luck was the more powerful talent and enrolled him with that title rather than the one he had been scouted for.”

“Okay but how lucky is he?” Maki challenged, obviously skeptical. “He was the first to die in the killing game, and you call that lucky?”

“Dying first allowed him to be pulled from the game early on and suffer the least amount of physical and mental damage,” Mikan offered as an explanation from her spot standing behind Kirumi. Shuichi supposed what she said was true. While everyone had tried to avoid dying in the game for obvious reasons, now looking back on it if they had all died in the beginning they could have been pulled much sooner and avoided significant damage.

“Luck is a funny thing.” Shuichi nearly jumped, not expecting a new voice to come from so close by. A quick glance back revealed the source was a white haired man standing behind Rantaro, clearly a mentor. What caught Shuichi off guard was the black and white metal prosthesis that made up what he could see of the man’s left forearm. The man noticed Shuichi looking at him and gave a kind smile, though there was something in his expression that made Shuichi uneasy, like he knew something that the detective didn’t. Shuichi quickly looked away.

“Right, and um…well, you didn’t kill me but…” Rantaro picked up the conversation again but trailed off as he looked over at Kaede. The girl visibly stiffened in her seat, her hands clasped tightly together in her lap as she bowed her head.

“I still attempted it,” She responded, so quiet that Shuichi wasn’t sure the rest of the room had even been able to hear it. Rantaro sighed and, after prying her hands apart, held one of them in his own.

“You were trying to kill the mastermind.” His words sounded rehearsed, like he had already said the same argument many times before. “Your plan didn’t even work, Tsumugi just made it look like it did.”

“Even so…” Kaede took a deep breath and finally looked up to address the room. “I am Kaede Akamatsu, the Ultimate Pianist.” Her introduction started out very confident, the ghost of a smile even gracing her lips, before she seemed to falter. The bit of smile dropped from her face, replaced by a frown as she bowed her head again. “And I failed all of you. I made a promise to get everyone out and I failed.”

The room fell silent. Shuichi assumed the mentors had all been instructed to avoid interjections as much as possible. A quick glance around showed many of them looked like they wanted to break the silence, say something to shift the tense atmosphere overtaking the room, but they all kept quiet. Even Shuichi’s classmates were saying nothing, some looking like they didn’t know what words to say and some looking like they didn’t want to be the ones to say anything at all.

Well, Shuichi always had been one for objections.

“That’s wrong!” He shouted, once again shifting the room’s attention towards him. He fought off the urge to cover his face and instead leaned forward to look past Rantaro at Kaede. “Kaede, your final wish is what kept us going. We would have given up completely if it hadn’t been for you.”

Kaede’s eyes were wide, glistening like she had been a few seconds from crying before Shuichi’s outburst. His declaration seemed to drag the other students out of their quiet states, many of them beginning to say similar phrases of affirmation and gratuity for Kaede’s selflessness in the game. However, despite the other voices Kaede’s gaze remained fixed on Shuichi. She seemed almost baffled by what had come out for his mouth.

For a brief moment it occurred to Shuichi that the last time Kaede had seen him, his confidence had been nearly nonexistent. To immediately speak out so forcefully like this was something she hadn’t really seen from him. He had to be pushed and guided, even defended, through that first trial because he had been so reluctant to face the truth and convict…convict_ her_.

His final words to her had been frustrated demands for answers when he should have been comforting a friend heading towards their execution.

Kaede’s distance from him when he first entered the cafeteria made much more sense now. She probably still believed he was angry with her or that he felt betrayed by what she did. When he entered he had immediately been surrounded by friends who he had grown so close to but who she had never had the opportunity to truly know. The earlier someone left the program, the more isolated they likely felt from those who had made it further.

“You may have left us early on but your spirit, your _belief_ in us remained.” Shuichi put as much confidence into his voice as he could, hoping Kaede would be able to tell how much he meant every word. She looked like she was ready to cry again, but this time her teary eyes were accompanied by a shaky smile.

“_Shuichi..._” She simply whispered, reaching out her hand which Shuichi quickly took and gave a firm squeeze.

“Well that’ll be fun to follow up,” Ryoma joked after a moment with a nod of his head towards Shuichi and Kaede, eliciting a few laughs from the group. Kaede and Shuichi let go of each other’s hands and sat back in their seats, a soft blush of embarrassment adorning their cheeks. “Um yeah, so I’m Ryoma Hoshi,” He continued, giving a little mock two-finger salute in greeting to the rest of the room. “You all knew me as the Ultimate Tennis Pro, which I still am, but uh…a cool little fact about me is that I apparently _didn’t_ kill an entire mafia organization and go to prison for it. I guess they needed someone with nothing to live for to make the killing game work better so…” He trailed off, nodding to himself. “Yeah, pretty cool that I didn’t go to prison.” Ryoma paused and narrowed his eyes as if he was trying to remember something important before suddenly speaking again. “Oh! And uh, Kirumi killed me but that’s cool too. We talked it over.” He looked over at Kirumi now, the gray-haired girl waiting for her turn to speak. She seemed to have another mentor with her in addition to Mikan, a shorter man wearing a chef’s uniform. Ryoma nodded in her direction and she nodded back, taking a deep breath before starting.

“I am Kirumi Tojo,” She introduced, as formal and polite as Shuichi remembered her being. “In the program I was led to believe that I had been tasked with protecting the citizens of Japan and for that reason, I was desperate to escape the academy. So desperate, that I was willing to kill Ryoma and allow the rest of you to take the fall.”

“I mean, you were trying to save a whole country,” K1-B0 pointed out, a few of the other students nodding their heads in agreement. “Sacrificing a few teenagers you just met to do it probably seemed fair.”

“But it _wasn’t_ fair,” Kirumi argued, her neutral expression cracking as she began to look upset. “None of you deserved that, I shouldn’t have betrayed…I should have told someone that…” She trailed off as more and more of her emotions surfaced. “I wanted to protect my people but that shouldn’t have been at the cost of my friends, regardless of whether or not anyone was willing to die. I had no right.” Seeing the normally level-headed girl close to tears made the rest of the students pause, silent as they waited for Ryoma to calm Kirumi down with quiet words of reassurance.

“Why don’t you tell them about the title change, Kirumi?” Ryoma suggested, Kirumi dabbing at her face with a handkerchief handed to her by Mikan. The girl sniffed and gave a quick nod.

“You all knew me as the Ultimate Maid while in the program,” Kirumi carried on. “And while I would be happy to continue bearing that title, I have since learned that I was being recruited for Hope’s Peak Academy under a different talent.” She gave a wobbly smile and quickly glanced back at the two mentors behind her who responded with encouraging smiles of their own. “After discussing the matter with my mentors I have decided that it would be an honor to accept the title of Super High School Level Housekeeper instead.” It was then that Shuichi noticed the smiles of all of the 77th class alumni were more on the side of bittersweet as Kirumi made her announcement, an observation he filed away for later as the introductions moved on to Tenko.

"I'm Tenko Chabashira, the Ultimate Aikido Master!" Despite her emotional state, Kirumi managed to nimbly dip to the side and avoid Tenko’s hands flying outwards as she fell into a fighting stance with her introduction. “It’s awesome seeing everyone here again!”

With every introduction Shuichi was looking for any differences, from the obvious to the subtle, in everyone’s behavior and personality from how they were in the killing game. Some had been sobered by their experiences, like Kirumi, while others found comfort in regaining their proper memories, like Maki. Even Tenko, despite having the same level of violent exuberance, almost seemed to have changed quite a bit from how she was in the program.

“It’s even kinda nice seeing all you degenerate males!”

Almost.

Tenko didn’t have new information to share for the moment so she instead nudged the very quiet Korekiyo who sat between her and Angie. Korekiyo still looked as uncomfortable as before, that visible anxiety growing as he slowly reached up to remove the black surgical mask covering his face. Shuichi didn’t even realize he had tensed up until he relaxed at seeing Korekiyo’s now exposed mouth was not covered in lipstick.

“My name is Korekiyo Shinguji, Ultimate Anthropologist, and one thing that should be made abundantly clear before I say anything more is that I _do not_ have a sister.” His declaration was rapid fire, words spilling from his mouth as if he had been dying to make the confession as soon as possible. “Those people who put us in the program planted absolutely disgusting memories into my head and I’d like you all to know that they were lies.”

“Don’t have to tell us twice,” Miu assured him. “That whole sister thing was gross as shit. I’m glad we can put it in the past.” Korekiyo nodded, calming slightly as he heard murmurs of agreement from the students around him.

“I thank you for your understanding. Tenko and Angie have assured me that they hold no ill-will towards me for their deaths as the motivation behind it was born of false memories. However, I still wish to express my remorse and beg forgiveness from the group for such violent acts.” Korekiyo bowed his head as Angie stretched from her seat beside him to wrap him in a hug, only pulling away to allow Korekiyo to replace his mask. Shuichi glanced over to Himiko to see the girl had a small frown on her face, clearly conflicted at hearing this new information.

“I would like to begin by first telling you all about the beliefs I, Angie Yonaga, have formed under the guidance of Atua!”

“Oh no,” Maki softly muttered beside Shuichi. He could sense the rest of his classmates collectively flinch in anticipation of another round of Angie’s preaching.

“Atua teaches forgiveness. He instills strength and compassion in His disciples,” Angie began, hands pressed together in front of her as she bowed her head. “He endeavors to preserve peace and maintains that all life is sacred.” Angie paused for a moment before dropping her hands in her lap and raising her head to face the room, her expression stern and slightly troubled. “What Atua does _not_ believe in is the manipulation of his followers or the use of His name to control others. His authority should never be used to make people do something they do not wish to do.”

“So…all that brainwashed cult stuff?” Kokichi prompted. He seemed nonchalant in his mentioning of Angie’s actions in the killing game yet Shuichi could hear a slight bit of anxiety in his tone. He remembered how much Kokichi had clearly disliked the cult-like zealotry of the student council.

“No more,” She swore with a swift nod of her head. “The people who trapped us in that hellish game twisted Atua’s commandments and poisoned my beliefs. I am no oracle, I do not speak for Atua. I merely follow His teachings and strive to live a life He would be proud of.” She let out a sigh and shook her head before lowering it in shame. “He would not be proud of how I conducted myself in that game. And so I ask for your forgiveness and pray you do not judge Atua for the misguided actions of His follower.” Miu leaned over and whispered something in Angie’s ear, making her raise her head once again. “Ah yes, I was the victim of Korekiyo and Atua has blessed me with the talents of the Ultimate Artist.”

“I think I hardly need to reintroduce myself but just in case you virgins somehow forgot about the gorgeous girl genius with the golden brain, I’ll spell it out for ya.” Miu shot up in her seat and struck a partial pose, hands planted firmly on her hips. “I’m Miu Iruma, the legendary Ultimate Inventor and star of all your pervy wet dreams!”

“Oh good, she’s still as vulgar as ever,” Kirumi observed with a wry smile, though her tone was more fond than hateful. Miu’s arrogance and insults may have been annoying in the game but now they brought about a sort of pleasant familiarity. It helped to cut through the tension of the other introductions and offered a distraction.

“Fuck yeah I am!” Miu proudly grinned and pointed at Kirumi, before crossing her legs and settling back in her chair. “And sure, I was killed by Gonta but he’s completely forgiven for that.” She reached over to pat Gonta’s arm, the larger man smiling down at her. “Honestly I was flattered to be taken out by such a _gentleman_.” That statement made Gonta grin even wider.

“Yes!” Gonta agreed, raising a fist into the air. “Gonta never mean to hurt Miu, Gonta only wish to protect.”

“Exactly,” Miu confirmed with a nod, the two bouncing off each other’s words like they were in sync. Shuichi got the feeling they had run through this sort of dialogue multiple times by now, Miu confidently supporting Gonta to help the man forgive himself for his actions.

“Gonta's name is still Gonta Gokuhara and Gonta's talent is still Ultimate Entomologist,” He continued. “Gonta sorry for making trouble for others in killing game, very ungentlemanly. But Gonta happy everyone free from game. Gonta will protect friends this time!”

“Hell yeah, we’re gonna protect everybody!” Tenko shouted, Kirumi once again deftly moving out of the way of her swinging arms.

The room was in much higher spirits as one by one everyone vented and confessed, actions from the game gradually being forgiven and muffled by smiles and jokes. Shuichi had practically forgotten Maki’s pessimistic predictions of how things would go or Kyoko’s troubled warnings from that morning. But honestly, the fact that it was going so well should have tipped him off that things would inevitably begin to break down like they always did.

How fitting that their circle of chairs resembled a trial room.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slightly early update because I was excited and your responses to the last chapter have been amazing
> 
> Also to everyone who's been thinking Nagito and Kokichi would have some sort of mentor-mentee thing going on: _COME GET YA’LL JUICE_

“I, Kaito Momota, Luminary of the Stars, am still your Super High School Level Astronaut!” Kaito’s energy managed to be immediately infectious from only one sentence, encouraging a few of his peers to laugh and smile in response. “I also killed Kokichi and it sucked but I got to ride inside an Exisal which honestly was pretty dope.” Kaito winked, seemingly at no one, and then bumped Kokichi with his elbow to indicate that it was now his turn.

Shuichi wondered if Kokichi’s ultimate talent had changed as well. Surely he was similar to Maki or Korekiyo where his title or morals had been made more menacing in the game for the purpose of creating conflict. His personality seemed more or less the same but what school would genuinely recruit a child under the title of Supreme Leader?

“My name is Kokichi Oma,” He announced, a deceivingly innocent smile on his face. “I was killed, as requested, by Kaito Momota. He did a great job, A for effort.” He reached over and lightly poked Kaito in the arm to which the Ultimate Astronaut responded with a chuckle and a shake of his head. “And of course, I am the Super High School Level Supreme Leader.”

There was a pause, a stretch of silence following his words where everyone stared at Kokichi and Kokichi smiled back. They were waiting. Waiting for a follow up, an explanation, a speech of regret for his actions in the killing game and a request for forgiveness but nothing came. Nothing would come, because Kokichi apparently had no regret.

“Is…is that it?” Kaede tentatively asked, prompting him for more. Kokichi looked contemplative for a moment before shrugging and leaning back leisurely in his seat.

“Hmmmm yeah, that’s about it,” He confirmed. The room fell silent once again.

“Oh you’ve gotta be fucking kidding,” Miu finally spoke as she stood to her feet and glared at Kokichi, voicing the same general thought going through the minds of most of the other students. “Out of all the people that should have the title of leader this manipulative little shit should _not _be one of them. I can’t believe Supreme Leader is his actual talent.” Shuichi watched Makoto hold up a pacifying hand, a weary look settling in as if he had expected this response.

“Miss Iruma, please sit back-”

“Miu’s right!” Tenko argued. Unlike Miu she was prevented from standing by her mentor, a woman with wild brown hair, holding her down with a firm hand on her shoulder. “You guys must have it mixed up because there’s no way that degenerate is anything but the Super High School Level Liar!”

“Listen guys, you’ve really got it all wrong.” Surprisingly it was Kaito who protested this time. “I’m well aware Kokichi acted like an ass but he was only trying to survive the hell we got thrown into, just like the rest of us.” Kokichi remained silent amidst the outbursts, glancing around at everyone as they argued.

“He manipulated Gonta into killing me!” Miu shouted, gesturing over to Gonta next to her who frowned and cast his eyes down in shame. “He should at least apologize for that!”

The mentor standing behind Gonta, a man with two-toned hair wearing a long purple scarf, put his hand on Gonta’s shoulder as he leaned down to whisper something to him. As he did so Shuichi watched hamsters emerge from the folds of his scarf, two of them running down his arm to perch on Gonta’s shoulders.

“And why should I do that, you filthy cum dumpster? In case you forgot, you were already planning to kill me in the game world,” Kokichi bit back. Gone was his playful smile, replaced by a more malicious sneer. Miu flinched and slumped back down into her seat. “I thought the outside world was an apocalyptic wasteland. Killing you was a mercy.”

“But by that point you had already started to figure out that it wasn’t a wasteland,” Shuichi piped up, drawing surprised glances from people in the room as the silent detective finally spoke again. Kokichi looked at him as well, and for a brief second Shuichi saw a crack of betrayal in his expression before it shifted to a blank face. Shuichi looked down and away, made uncomfortable by the emotionless stare. “And anyway, we should’ve discussed that as a group.”

“All of this should be in the past.” Kaito launched into another defense. “Don’t forget we all made mistakes in there, did things we regret-”

“Well that’s the fucking problem, he doesn’t sound like he regrets a single fucking thing!” Miu shouted, ready to jump back out of her seat if it weren’t for Kazuichi placing a hand on her shoulder to keep her down. “And even if he did regret shit, how do we know it’s not a lie like everything else he says?”

“You’re being unfair with this.” Kaito maintained, growing steadily more frustrated. “Everyone-”

“Nooooo Kaito, no no no,” Kokichi drawled. Shuichi looked over and was shocked to see Kokichi no longer staring at him or anyone in the room but rather up at the ceiling, the malicious smile once again growing on his face. Kaito looked over at him, confusion painting his features. “They’re all right, honestly, I don’t regret what I did. And Ultimate Liar has a nice ring to it. Although…” He trailed off as his gaze slowly slid down to once again stare across at Shuichi. “Maybe I could be called the Ultimate Pancake, I certainly got flat enough for it.” Shuichi sucked in a breath as the image of blood seeping out from the hydraulic press flashed through his mind. Kokichi looked away again, staring at the floor this time as the room once again fell silent. 

The white haired mentor standing behind Rantaro quietly moved from his spot and made his way over to stand behind Kokichi, Fuyuhiko stepping back to give him space. Shuichi watched with surprise as he wrapped his arms, one flesh and one partially metal, around Kokichi from behind and tucked his chin down on top of his head. Even more surprisingly Kokichi looked slightly comforted by this embrace, his shoulders dropping a bit from their tense position and his eyes closing. Kaito’s mouth pressed into a thin line and he reached over to give Kokichi’s arm a quick squeeze.

“Kaito’s got the right idea here.” Hajime shifted the conversation, everyone in the room looking over to where he stood behind Kaito. “You all did things I’m sure you’re not proud of in that program. Believe me, we all did horrible things in our games and real life. But that’s the point of _this_.” He spread out his arms, gesturing to the circle of students. “Talking with each other, acknowledging the despair you were forced to face and working past it together.”

“But is Supreme Leader _seriously_ his talent?” Maki asked, looking not at Kokichi but at Kaito with a mixture of confusion and suspicion in her eyes.

“If I may interject,” Byakuya cut in, once again pushing his glasses higher up the bridge of his nose. “The talent of Ultimate Supreme Leader, like many other talents, shouldn’t be judged by title alone. Kokichi is _not_ a leader, as Miss Iruma said, at least he isn't one in the traditional sense. He is more than that. As supreme leader he stands above a group rather than beside it, manipulating situations in his favor. His status in the killing game was what he wanted it to be, whether that be as a survivor or a victim.” The importance of the distinct lack of _killer_ as a status was heavily implied in his tone. “His lies alone were not his talent. From my own observations of your broadcasted game I could see deception was just another _tool_ of his talent.”

“A necessary one, at that,” Kyoko noted from behind Shuichi, causing the younger Ultimate Detective to jump a bit in his seat from her suddenly speaking. He felt her place a single gloved hand on his shoulder, likely to apologize for startling him.

“But that’s…still a bit mean, isn’t it? Why should we trust someone with a talent like that?” Himiko asked, looking around for agreement from others, some nodding in response. Byakuya sighed and looked between Makoto and Hajime.

“I believe now may be a good time for all of us to introduce ourselves, talents included. Perhaps that may help the students understand the range of…abilities we have in our group.”

“Agreed,” Hajime said with a nod of his head.

Just as Shuichi’s peers had done, one by one the mentors now went around sharing their full names, talent, and whether they were from the 77th or 78th class of the original Hope’s Peak. There were plenty of harmless talents in the group. Shuichi of course knew Kyoko standing behind him was the former Ultimate Detective. Ultimate chef, photographer, gymnast, and more were announced. Shuichi began to wonder what point they were trying to make with the phrase “range of abilities” until the introductions finally took a turn from normal to…progressively more strange.

The Ultimate Breeder who declared himself forbidden and tyrannical.

The Ultimate Affluent Progeny who bested his own siblings to inherit the Togami Empire and its fortunes.

The Ultimate Yakuza who was rightful heir of the Kuzuryu Clan.

Hajime shocked everyone with the explanation of the Izuru Kamukura Project and how he technically possessed _all_ the known Ultimate talents that had been researched at Hope's Peak Academy. Shuichi didn’t want to contemplate which potential abilities that would mean he could theoretically have. Kaito’s words from earlier, saying Hajime was complicated when it came to talent, made much more sense.

Along with their introductions, the members of the 77th class also shared their status of killer, victim, or survivor in their killing game. To hear that Gundham had managed to take down the massive force that was Nekomaru, or that the trembling Mikan had killed not one but _two_ of her classmates made everyone begin to reevaluate their perspectives.

The Ultimate Detective also began to understand the pairing of mentors to mentees as he heard everyone’s talents. Some were a perfect match up. Ibuki and Kaede seemed like they were already composing duets together as they discretely hummed and tapped out sequences while Hiyoko had started to braid Kaede’s hair, absentmindedly swaying to their tunes. Ryoma, with Nekomaru standing behind him, and Tenko, with Akane behind her, seemed to be sharing Aoi as a secondary mentor as she stood partially behind both of them.

There were also pairs where the connections between talents were a little more stretched but they seemed content with the match nonetheless. Kirumi may not have been an ultimate chef or nurse but she was certainly able to perform those skills well when her talent called for it, so Mikan and Teruteru were suitable mentors. Sonia standing with Korekiyo was a bit strange but Shuichi figured that as a princess, she likely possessed knowledge of different societies and cultures that could keep up with Korekiyo’s own fascinations.

And then there was Kokichi, who at the moment was wrapped up by the 77th class’s Ultimate Luckster but also had Fuyuhiko standing behind him. Having the Ultimate Yakuza as his mentor certainly made sense from a role perspective but Shuichi had also seen Kokichi speaking with Byakuya and Sonia earlier. The positions they held with their talents meant they also worked as mentors to a supreme leader. Shuichi remembered Kyoko saying once that some students would have more than one mentor they could connect with and that some mentors overlapped with multiple mentees. It seemed like Kokichi may have a large number of mentors he could connect with and had even branched to more outside of his talent.

Which brought him to Nagito Komaeda.

Why had one of the Ultimate Lucky Students immediately gone to comfort Kokichi in such a familiar way? And Kokichi was clearly fine with him doing so if his reaction was anything to go by. It was possible Nagito had even comforted him in this way before from how relaxed and friendly the two seemed together. As everyone introduced themselves, Nagito would occasionally dip down and whisper something which Kokichi would respond to with small nods of his head.

One fairly timid girl with long twin braids was the last to introduce herself as Toko Fukawa, the Ultimate Writing Prodigy, before she cautiously pulled out a stun gun and held it against her head. Some of the students gasped, making Toko hesitate and look over at Byakuya who only gave a firm nod. Toko grimaced and pulled the trigger, eliciting a few shocked screams and horrified expressions. However the 77th and 78th classes looked on with mild indifference as Toko’s personality drastically changed before their eyes. She now introduced herself as Genocide Jack, the Ultimate Murderous Fiend, as she pulled and wielded scissors from the pockets of her skirt.

“You guys have a fucking serial killer with you?!” Kaito shouted in disbelief, staring horrified as Genocide Jack snipped her scissors in his direction.

“Now is that any way to speak in front of a lady?” She managed to ask despite the long lolling tongue sticking out of her mouth. “I’d be careful if I were you. You’d make a perfect pin cushion for my scissors if it wasn’t for the fact that I’ve recently settled down.”

“That’s enough,” Byakuya cut in, sending a steady glare in the direction of the retired killer.

“Why don’t you step out for a second?” Aoi suggested with a smile, not at all frightened. “Try and build up a sneeze or give Komaru a call and chat with her for a bit.” At the mention of whoever Komaru was, Genocide Jack perked up and immediately skipped out of the room.

“I believe my point has been made,” Byakuya continued as soon as she left. “While I don’t see the necessity of it, Makoto and Hajime insist you all are meant to be healing_ together_ which means this childish bickering and lack of trust will have to stop.” He said this with pointed looks between Miu, Tenko, and Himiko. “Talent is talent. Whether you choose to perceive particular abilities as benevolent or malevolent is inconsequential to the grander scheme of things.”

“And what exactly _is_ the grander scheme here?” Kaede questioned, pitching the room into silence once more as Hajime and Makoto shared a look. However, an answer came from neither of these men but rather from the 77th class’s Ultimate Lucky Student, still with his arms wrapped around Kokichi.

“Hope.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow US readers! It's another Thursday update because I'll be traveling and wanted to post before I left. 
> 
> I've mapped out most of the future plot either with outlines or vague ideas and it looks like this thing is gonna end up in the low 20s for chapters

“If you fucking rant about hope again I’m gonna deck you,” Fuyuhiko warned, though his tone didn’t carry a hard enough edge to fully match his words. Nagito pulled away from Kokichi, still keeping his hands on the younger’s shoulders.

“I have a point,” Nagito promised. However, instead of looking back at Fuyuhiko when he spoke he looked to the side at Hajime, seeking permission from him instead. Hajime huffed out a laugh.

“He has a point,” He said with a nod of his head, looking back at Fuyuhiko who merely rolled his eye and shrugged.

“You all were meant to be the pilot class of the new Hope’s Peak Academy,” Nagito continued. “As soon as the roster was made public people were already marking you as symbols of hope for the future after society had been trapped in despair for so long.”

“But we’re just kids,” Kaede argued. Shuichi had to agree. They were young and there were so few of them. How could they possibly make that significant of a change with just their talents?

“You’re potential,” Nagito corrected, placing his mechanical hand on top of Kokichi’s head. The Ultimate Supreme Leader was still staring off into the distance but clearly listening to the conversation, his eyebrow raising slightly in response to Nagito’s statement. “People sought to destroy that potential. We need you to remind the world that hope can never be destroyed. We’re asking you to represent that hope as a collective.”

“We’re asking for a second chance,” Makoto expanded. “We should have done more to protect all of you and we swear that we will this time.”

“A second chance for what?” Maki questioned.

“We’d still like for you all to attend Hope’s Peak,” Makoto announced, the headmaster sounding fairly nervous to share the proposal. “The academy, of course, would act as a boarding school for all of you. We’re funded by the government and private investors so there would be no cost to any of you.”

“The Future Foundation has reached an understanding with the government that you would be placed under the care of the academy, essentially becoming our wards,” Byakuya explained. Shuichi’s heart clenched as he realized that he and probably all of his classmates were orphans at this point. The people who kidnapped them did so much more damage than just putting them in a killing game. The room had fallen silent, everyone likely having the same upsetting series of thoughts as Shuichi.

“We understand that after everything you’ve been through you may have reservations. You were targeted simply due to having the title of Ultimate,” Makoto acknowledged. “But the world needs you. Your talents are extraordinary and, if given the environment and opportunities to develop them, you could contribute so much to society as it rebuilds.”

“We don’t need your answers now,” Hajime assured everyone, clearly picking up on the atmosphere of hesitation that had settled in the room. “And we’ll continue aiding in your recovery regardless of your decision.” Hajime looked across the circle at Mikan. Shuichi noticed for the first time that the Ultimate Nurse had been taking notes on a tablet. She glanced up and noticed Hajime staring expectantly at her, causing her to startle and nearly drop the tablet. She fumbled a bit until Hiyoko, standing beside her, snapped her arm out and grabbed the device.

“R-right!” Mikan’s face flushed as Hiyoko snickered and handed her back the tablet. “Now that we’ve made progress with the killer and victim therapy groups we’d like to incorporate new therapy sessions.” Her voice wavered slightly at having everyone’s eyes on her, a reaction Shuichi sympathized with well, as she scrolled through something on the tablet. “Killers from the alumni classes will have group sessions with killers from your class. There will also be group sessions with the victims and sessions with the survivors.”

That was certainly an interesting announcement. The room filled with noise at the new development as his class began talking again. Many were turning back to talk to their mentors, figuring out if they’d be apart or stay together for these sessions. Shuichi scanned the group as he pieced together who would be in therapy with who and realized Kokichi and Miu would be together as victims. It seemed the two of them had also come to the same realization. Miu’s eye was practically twitching as she glared at Kokichi whose face was now contorted into a grimace as Nagito patted his head.

“Don’t worry.” Shuichi heard Rantaro whisper. The detective glanced over to see the newest lucky student was watching him with a thoughtful gaze. Rantaro’s eyes then flicked over to look between Kokichi and Miu. “I’ll keep an eye on them.” Shuichi blinked, surprised not only because Rantaro had been making the same observations as him but also that he picked up on Shuichi’s worries that there would be conflict. Shuichi merely nodded as Makoto once again called for everyone’s attention.

“You also have free roam of the hospital now, and meals can be eaten here in the cafeteria. And once we’ve seen progress with the new therapy groups you’ll also have access to the rest of the islands, but a mentor must escort you while you’re outside the hospital.”

“Will we be able to dress in something other than the hospital gear at some point?” Kaito asked, many of the students sharing words of agreement.

“The Future Foundation conducts regular supply drops to the island and one will be departing soon,” Byakuya answered. “Foundation agents have already collected any belongings they could find in your homes, including clothing. If you’d like anything more than those items included in the next shipment then inform your mentors promptly.”

“Now, I’m sure all of you have been curious about your classmate Tsumugi Shirogane,” Makoto said, every member of Shuichi’s class immediately perking up in their seats. Even Kokichi sat up straighter and finally focused his gaze on Makoto. “She will eventually rejoin all of you once we’ve decided her individual therapy has helped her regain a healthier condition. For now she’s staying in a separate wing of the hospital under the care of her mentor, a member of the seventy-seventh class who you haven’t been introduced to yet.”

“Since you’ve been permitted free roam of the hospital we ask that you make no attempt to access her quarters,” Mikan ordered with as much authority as she could muster in her voice.

“Believe me when I say you won’t be able to anyway,” Hajime advised, his heterochromatic eyes turning icy as the _bored_ tone that Shuichi had come to hate hearing seeped into his voice. The warning sounded almost like a threat, and combined with the knowledge that Hajime had any number of talents within his arsenal it could very well be. “You may see Tsumugi’s mentor as they come and go. Don’t bother asking about her, they won’t tell you anything.”

“Who’s her mentor?” Kokichi asked, the first words he had spoken in a while. It seemed the desire for information outweighed his desire to stay silent.

“The Ultimate Imposter,” Ibuki announced gleefully and loudly as she made peace signs with her hands. Shuichi and his classmates waited for a name to follow the title but it seemed that was all the Ultimate Musician had to say.

“And their name…is?” Kaede asked, tilting her head back to look up at Ibuki.

“Those of you in victim therapy will meet them properly but if you ever run into them they’ll respond to being called Imposter or by the name of whoever they’re disguised as.” Hajime paused and frowned. “Actually, I haven’t see them in a while. Does anyone know who they look like right now?”

“They were totally rocking the Togami vibe the last time Ibuki saw them,” The musician noted.

“Yeah but once the actual Byakuya Togami arrived on the island he switched to impersonating Kyosuke Munakata,” Ryota informed them from his place behind Angie. Byakuya scoffed.

“How distasteful, mimicking the leader of the Future Foundation.”

“Would you rather they look like you?” Makoto asked, a perceptive smile on his face like he already knew the answer.

“No.” Byakuya softly admitted with a sneer.

“One last thing. We know from experience that the idea of a curfew isn’t a welcome one.” Hajime dragged the conversation back on topic. “For now we won’t establish one. Mentors will be walking through the halls in shifts to be available if anyone needs something. You can be out of your rooms whenever you like, just be mindful of disturbances.” Shuichi could appreciate the allowance they were being given, considering it meant anyone could have access to anyone at any time.

He wondered how long it would take before they revoked it.

“If you try anything, we have cameras set up,” Kazuichi warned, an edge of pride to his voice that told Shuichi he likely designed and installed those cameras. “And unlike in the game, we can actually check the footage.”

With that final announcement the group was dismissed, now with basically the entire hospital at their disposal. It had already been afternoon when they started, the day now entering evening as students helped alumni reset the tables and chairs that had been stacked to the side. Teruteru, with the insistent help of Kirumi, began to cart out platters of finger food he had prepared to arrange buffet style for everyone to snack on.

Many stayed in the cafeteria to eat and socialize with one another after being apart. Shuichi watched Kokichi share a few hushed words with Kaito before exiting the cafeteria. Fuyuhiko, who had been speaking with Peko again, moved to follow him out before Nagito put a hand on the yakuza’s shoulder and whispered something to him. Fuyuhiko frowned but nodded and Nagito left in pursuit of Kokichi, Byakuya watching the exchange from afar as a back-to-normal Toko spoke with him and Makoto.

“Are you hungry?” Shuichi tensed for a quick moment before relaxing as he realized it was only Kyoko. He became so lost in his thoughts while observing people it was easy to sneak up on him. She was carrying a plate with small samples of most of the food that was on the table. “You should eat something, you haven’t since this morning.” He shrugged but she handed him the plate anyway.

“Hey, Kyoko?” His mentor tilted her head to indicate she was listening. “Who does Toko mentor?”

“Maki, technically,” She answered, looking over to where the writing prodigy was still speaking with Makoto, Byakuya having left the room at some point when Shuichi wasn’t looking. “Toko, or more accurately Genocide Jack, has become a sort of guard dog for the Future Foundation. However, she won’t be staying on the islands as much as Peko will. She’s needed in Towa City to help Makoto’s sister organize rebuilding efforts.”

“She has a serial killer inside her,” Shuichi noted dumbly, still a bit in shock at the reveal from earlier. Kyoko shrugged and picked up a meatball from Shuichi’s plate of food.

“She’s retired.”

Shuichi stayed in the cafeteria for a short while, chatting a bit with Kaede before he was pulled away by a very excited Maki and Peko to meet the hamsters he had seen crawling on Gundham’s shoulders. He referred to them as “_descendants of the Four Heavenly Kings of Darkness and Gods of Destruction_” which made Shuichi frown in confusion as he looked at the fuzzy little creatures. Kazuichi came up behind Shuichi and whispered that he should just smile and nod, so Shuichi smiled and nodded.

After some time Shuichi decided he had reached his limit of social interaction and told Kyoko he’d be returning to his room. She offered to escort him back but he declined, not wanting to disrupt the conversation she had been having with Makoto. With a broad goodnight to those left in the cafeteria who hadn’t yet straggled back to their rooms, he left.

He didn’t immediately sleep, choosing instead to stay up for an hour or two to continue reading one of the novels Kyoko had lent to him. He had been nearly nodding off enough for him to bookmark his page and set the book to the side. But as he rose to turn off the lights in his room there was a knock at his door, and K1-B0 stood on the other side.

“Good evening, Shuichi,” The robot politely greeted. “Did I wake you?”

Shuichi shook his head and leaned against the doorframe. “No, I was just reading. What did you need?”

“We’re having a meeting in the cafeteria and I was sent to see if you’d like to join us.”

“Wait, a meeting about what?” Shuichi frowned at the familiarity of it, recalling how Kaito had organized a strategy meeting at the beginning of the killing game. “Did Kaito call for it?”

“It was Maki, actually,” K1-B0 corrected, his expression suddenly shifting to concern. “And I _really_ think it would be good to have you there.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got distracted earlier when I was supposed to update this cuz I'm an EMT and we got dispatched oooooops sorry
> 
> Also this chapter got too long and was split into two so I may do an earlier update for the other part since it's already done
> 
> ANYway guess why Maki called the meeting, it's probably exactly what you think
> 
> enjoy

Shuichi followed K1-B0 back through the halls of the hospital towards the cafeteria. Along the way they passed a few mentors who were patrolling alone or in pairs. On Shuichi’s floor they passed Mikan who, while holding a stack of patient charts in her arms, attempted to wave which resulted in her losing control and nearly dropping the papers. Hiyoko who had been walking beside her once again steadied the clumsy nurse, taking half the stack of charts from her.

“Seriously? You’re useless without me.” Hiyoko’s words were cruel but didn’t carry much heat, rather it sounded like fond exasperation.

“I’m soooorry!” Mikan wailed as they passed the pair of students, Hiyoko’s giggling fading as they moved further down the fall.

When Shuichi and K1-B0 reached the lobby they came across Byakuya leaning against the reception desk as he spoke on the phone with someone. The bits of conversation Shuichi heard as they passed made him think it was Future Foundation business, likely a status update. Byakuya never paused his conversation, only nodding at the two students to acknowledge their presence as they passed. None of the mentors had stopped them or questioned where they were going, reaffirming the promise of a lack of enforced curfew.

K1-B0 and Shuichi finally entered the cafeteria. A good number of their classmates were there, commandeering one of the tables with Maki sitting at the head of it with her arms crossed. Kaito sat to her right, his legs kicked up leisurely on the table. Miu sat to Maki’s left, impatiently drumming her nails on the table’s surface. Rantaro, Ryoma, Kirumi, Korekiyo, and Angie had also taken seats around the table. Shuichi and K1-B0 took seats in some of the few remaining chairs, Maki observing them and only finally speaking once they were settled.

“Is this everyone who wanted to come?” Maki checked, looking around at the group. Miu let out a noise of frustration as she angrily inspected her nails.

“Gonta wanted to stay with Kokichi for some fucking reason.” The inventor complained, sounding clearly betrayed with a slight hint of worry in her voice. Shuichi raised his brows a bit but remained silent. So Gonta was with Kokichi. Despite Miu seeming insulted by the idea of it, it made sense to Shuichi. The entomologist’s final act before his execution was to forgive Kokichi and request that everyone be friends even after all that had happened.

“Kaede wasn’t really feeling up to it,” Rantaro explained. Shuichi frowned, worried that Kaede may still be distancing herself due to feeling disconnected from the rest of the group. He made a mental note to check on her later. 

“Himiko was very sleepy and Tenko wished to stay with her,” Angie informed them, her arm linked with Korekiyo’s as the two sat as close as possible to one another at the table. Korekiyo still appeared to be a bit nervous around everyone else and it seemed as though Angie was grounding him in a way with her presence and constant contact.

“Also I don’t believe Himiko is all that comfortable being around me yet,” Korekiyo added, voice quiet and slightly muffled by his mask.

“Hey, Korekiyo,” Shuichi said, the anthropologist turning his yellow eyes towards him. “If you don’t mind me asking, why do you still wear a mask if you don’t have…you know, anything to hide?”

“It’s out of habit,” Korekiyo explained with a tired shrug. “When I would travel to other countries or villages for my studies I didn’t want to risk bringing any illnesses to them or picking up anything while I was there.” He reached up and hooked a finger into one of the mask straps but didn’t move to pull it off. “It’s become a bit uncomfortable for me to not have one on.”

“I’ll be completely honest. When you took the mask off earlier I was sort of freaking out thinking you’d be wearing lipstick,” Kaito confessed, sliding his legs off the table and dropping them to the floor with a thud as he gestured a hand towards his own mouth.

“Oh good, I wasn’t the only one then,” K1-B0 muttered, his expression a mixture of shame and relief.

“It’s most unfortunate that you’ve all come to fear that visage of me.” Korekiyo pulled a bit at the mask strap, still not pulling the entire thing off. Shuichi would wager a guess that the small action was a nervous habit of his. “I’m actually quite fond of wearing makeup.”

“Really?” Miu perked up at the mention of makeup, mood shifting rapidly from irritation to excitement. “Holy shit, let me do your makeup sometime.” Korekiyo blinked, visibly surprised at Miu’s sudden offer.

“Yeah, maybe we could ask for some makeup to be in the next shipment of supplies,” Rantaro suggested, growing animated alongside Miu. “I was thinking of asking for nail polish too.”

“But…I thought you all just said…” Korekiyo trailed off, overwhelmed and confused by the sudden support for a style everyone had just recently confessed they feared seeing.

“We freaked out because we thought you’d go sister-mode on us again,” Miu said with a dismissive wave of her hand. “But now we know that was all just in the program.”

“How are you with eyeliner?” Kirumi quietly asked.

“Exceptional,” Korekiyo answered without missing a beat.

“Please do my eyeliner,” Kirumi begged, a twinkle of excitement in her eye despite the shyness in her voice. Ryoma huffed out a laugh and smiled at her, pleased to see she was beginning to enjoy herself again.

“Okay, we’ve gotten off track,” Maki interrupted with a sigh. She was drumming her fingers on the table now, patience wearing thin for the people around her.

“Did we even have a track to begin with?” Ryoma questioned. Shuichi noticed he held a toothpick in his mouth, probably acquired from the assortment of food from earlier to replace the candy stick he always had in the game. Shuichi focused back on Maki and shook his head.

“Yeah, why was I brought here?” The detective asked. Maki opened her mouth to respond but was interrupted by Miu slamming her hands down on the table as she stood to address the group.

“We need to talk about Kokichi,” She declared. Kaito groaned and slammed his own fist on the table, albeit a little less forcefully than Miu.

“We do _not_ need to talk about Kokichi,” He shot back, jaw clenched.

“Why are you defending him all of a sudden?” Maki asked him, suspicion settling back into her features. “A few days in therapy and you’re suddenly best friends.” Kaito sighed and wearily rubbed at his face.

“You weren’t there in that hangar. He sacrificed himself-”

“_Sacrificed?_” Maki interrupted, staring at Kaito like he had grown a second head. Kaito groaned again. “He made you the blackened!”

“I was already dying from the illness,” He reasoned.

“Maybe we could have found a cure. You shouldn’t have gone along with his plan.”

“It was a solid plan. And he gave me the antidote for the poison.” Kaito pressed his palms flat on the table and stared at the surface. Shuichi could hear the anger and frustration rising in the astronaut’s voice but it was clear Kaito was making an effort to remain calm. “If he hadn’t done that, _you_ would’ve been the blackened. If I hadn’t killed him with the press before the poison did, _you _would’ve been the blackened.” Maki sighed and rolled her eyes.

“That’s fine, I was already an assassin in that game anyway-”

“You really think you would’ve been fine knowing you killed me, Maki?” Kaito snapped, looking back at her now. Maki’s eyes widened as Kaito shook his head. “Because I’ll be honest, even if I wasn’t the victim I don’t think I could’ve seen you be executed and stayed sane afterwards.” Kaito looked back down at the table as Maki remained silent, the energy seemingly leaving him. “He was trying to stop the killing game with a convoluted trial to expose the mastermind. He was willing to die and I was already on the brink of it. We were supposed to be the final deaths of that stupid game.”

“But I thought he _liked_ the killing game,” Miu argued, having since settled back into her seat. “He was having fun seeing the rest of us suffer.”

“How could a game you’re forced to play be fun?” K1-B0 murmured. Shuichi realized with a start that the robot was repeating Kokichi’s final words as reported to them by Kaito during the trial. Himiko and rest had believed it was just more lies but K1-B0 had considered it the honest truth. “He lied to himself to survive it and trick the mastermind.”

“He hated that fucking game,” Kaito maintained. “He wanted it to end and he saw himself as one of the few people who could make it end, so he did whatever he could to stay alive.” The group fell silent until Maki sighed and shook her head.

“He still can’t be trusted,” She decided. Shuichi narrowed his eyes. He knew Maki to be stubborn and protective but this was becoming a problem, especially when they were meant to start making amends and not picking new fights outside of the program.

“Maki, we’re not in the game anymore,” Shuichi reminded her. Maki nodded her head towards him as if he helped her somehow prove a point.

“And yet he continues to lie and manipulate,” She responded.

“Okay but-”

“It’s hard for him not to!” Kaito shot back.

“Guys…”

“And that’s a fucking problem!” Miu shouted.

“_SHUT UP!_” Shuichi slammed his hands on the table, his palms stinging from the force. Everyone stared at him in shock from the outburst. Rantaro’s mouth began to quirk up into an amused smile. “If you only brought me here to complain about Kokichi then I’m leaving.”

“I thought you’d be on my side with this, Shuichi,” Maki protested. “What was it you said earlier, about discussing things as a team? If Kokichi wanted to end the killing game he could have gotten our help but instead he just went crazy.”

“To trick the-”

“Kaito, _stop_,” Shuichi ordered. Kaito opened his mouth to object but ultimately decided against it, allowing Shuichi to continue. “Maki, did you ever stop to notice _when _he started acting like that?” Maki looked confused for a moment and shook her head.

“Why should it matter when he-”

“It was after Miu’s death and Gonta’s execution.” Maki paused and appeared contemplative, likely running through her own recollection of how events had transpired. Miu made a quiet noise of confusion. “He broke down and then immediately went off the rails. When Kokichi starts to show true emotions he covers it up by doubling down on the lies to use as a mask.” The group fell silent and for a moment Maki looked hesitant, questioning if she really understood Kokichi’s behavior. But soon enough the hesitance fell away as Maki squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head as if she could shake away the idea of it.

“How can you be so sure about that?” She questioned.

“He _is_ the Ultimate Detective,” Korekiyo softly pointed out. Shuichi realized then just how silent the rest of the group had been through the outbursts and yelling. Where did everyone else fall in this debate?

“He’s just like us,” Kaito murmured. He seemed so tired now and Shuichi could bet a big reason for that was due to how much he had been arguing with Maki. “He didn’t want any of this.”

“That doesn’t mean we need to trust him,” Maki didn’t seem much better, she could barely look Kaito in his face when she spoke now. They were out of the killing game. This period of time was supposed to be meant for second chances and enjoying being together with the people they cared about. Instead everyone was drifting further and further apart.

Shuichi hated this.

“I think we _should_ trust him,” Angie suddenly spoke, stirring the others out of their melancholy stupors.

“Because Atua preaches forgiveness?” Miu guessed, the tone of her voice slightly mocking. Angie ignored the jab at her beliefs and instead shook her head and placed her hands together.

“Kokichi has told many lies, this is true. You say he has lost your trust in him,” She observed, looking around at the rest of the group. “So tell me this. Will you treat Tsumugi the same way when she ultimately rejoins our group?”


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maki's meeting part two, bring ya friends!
> 
> Also the next chapter is shaping up to be a sort of long one and I don't want to break it up like I did with this one, hopefully that one will still be going up Friday

“Tsumugi’s different.”

“How so?” Angie challenged Maki, tilting her head to the side. “She told _many big_ _lies_, did she not?”

“One could argue she didn’t tell a single truth the entire game,” Kirumi mused.

“But that’s not how she actually is,” Maki argued. “They basically tortured her into being the mastermind.” Angie nodded her head thoughtfully.

“She was a victim of circumstance,” Angie agreed.

“_Exactly_-”

“As was Kokichi,” Angie cut in. Maki and Miu glared at her but the artist held strong in her argument. Shuichi watched Korekiyo protectively tighten his hold on Angie’s arm. “Yes, he still lies outside of the game. But if the things Keebo, Shuichi, and Kaito say are true then who he was in the program isn’t exactly who he wanted to be.”

“But he _isn’t_ acting any different from how he was in the game!” Miu reminded them. Shuichi saw K1-B0 wince out of the corner of his eye.

“To be fair, you never really gave him a chance to,” The robot pointed out, wincing again at the look of utter betrayal Miu sent his way. K1-B0 shrank in on himself somewhat but nevertheless carried on with his observation. “Miu, you sort of lashed out after his introduction and probably made him more defensive. All the mentors made it clear we didn’t _need_ to share anything extra. For all we know he could have wanted to apologize for some of his behavior but he just didn’t want to do it in the meeting.”

Shuichi shifted through his memories of the meeting. Kokichi had been mischievous as always and had antagonized Maki from the start but there had been undeniable improvement in how he listened to Kaito. He hadn’t needed to share anything past his name, talent, and role but when he failed to produce an apology or demonstrate a change of heart like the others before him, Miu and Tenko had called him out.

Shuichi had even called him out.

Before he had contributed to the argument Kokichi had been his impish and playful self but once Shuichi spoke against him everything had dropped. The mask had shifted into place. Kokichi’s face and voice became devoid of emotion until he made the joke about his death, a grim callback he had really only directed at Shuichi, before Nagito had moved to calm him. That was another thing Shuichi was still trying to piece together an explanation for.

“Does anyone know what the deal is with Nagito and Kokichi?” Shuichi asked, breaking the troubled silence the group had fallen into. “Kaito, you had therapy with Kokichi…do you know anything about that.”

“Oh, Nagito’s kinda one of his mentors. He’s actually got a few mentors, let’s see...” Kaito held up his hand and began to count off on his fingers. “I think Fuyuhiko and Byakuya are the primary ones for his talent and then Sonia would sometimes accompany him to therapy. And then Nagito’s more just…an emotional mentor, I guess you could call him?” Kaito shrugged and lightly shook his head to convey that was all the information he had.

“What the fuck does that mean?” Miu muttered.

“They had similar roles in their killing games,” Rantaro answered this time.

“So Nagito was_ also_ a complete asshole to everyone, good to know,” Maki sardonically drawled. She was clearly at her wits end with this meeting despite being the one who called for it in the first place. Rantaro’s brow furrowed as he shook his head.

“No, that’s not it,” He corrected. “Nagito told me about their killing game when he was explaining how his luck worked.”

“How his…luck worked?” Shuichi asked. He understood that the talent of luck had been studied at Hope’s Peak but he didn’t realize there were guidelines for its use.

“Yeah,” Rantaro elaborated, head nodding. “Makoto, Nagito, and I all have weirdly powerful luck, and Nagito’s works in this cycle of good luck causing bad luck causing good luck.” Rantaro paused upon seeing a few skeptical looks sent his way before continuing on. “But anyway, Nagito kind of messed with things in their killing game. Like, he’d create conflict and push for a killing to happen and derail trials.”

“Why would he do that?” Shuichi questioned. The older luckster had seemed so well-aligned during the meeting. His demeanor and his speech had been positive and encouraging, not at all the actions one would associate with someone who aided in a killing game. 

“He’s obsessed with the idea of hope…like…_obsessed_.” Rantaro’s mouth twitched into a slight grimace. “And he used to think a good way to create hope was to create despair so that hope could triumph.”

“So ignoring that absolutely bonkers philosophy, he fucked with the game?” Miu clarified, picking at her nails again. “That’s why he and Kokichi get along?”

“Well he also made himself a victim, like Kokichi did.” Rantaro had begun gesturing a bit with his hands as he spoke. “He was trying to weed out a traitor in their group and he came up with this elaborate plan to do it. He made this trap that would make his death look like a suicide but it would actually be triggered by the traitor which made them the blackened because he set this fire that…would…” Rantaro trailed off and dropped his hands, noticing everyone was now blankly staring at him as the group became lost in the absurdity of his explanation. “It, uh…it was complicated. His aim was to make the trial unsolvable.”

“Just like ours,” Kaito quickly pointed out as he spread his arms wide. “You see, people from the other classes did some of the same things Kokichi did and _their _classmates forgave them.”

“But…wait,” Shuichi countered, wincing slightly as Kaito’s shoulders slumped and arms dropped at hearing him interject. The detective sent an apologetic look his way but continued on. “Kokichi wanted to create a trial with an unknown victim that Monokuma couldn’t properly _judge_ to ruin the game. It sounds like what Nagito did was different.”

“If he made it unsolvable then it would have just killed his other classmates when they voted for the wrong blackened,” K1-B0 added onto Shuichi’s thoughts, Rantaro nodding in confirmation.

“Yeah, at that point Nagito had figured out they were former remnants of despair,” Rantaro explained. “He thought they all deserved to die, himself included.”

The rest of the group fell silent, eyes widening and words failing them. The mentor who had spoken of hope and how they could help society, who made light jokes about luck being a funny thing. The other members of his class had treated him not like a threat but as another valid peer. There had been no indications of hidden past malice, no warning signs to tell them what he had once done. Shuichi recalled the moment he and Nagito first saw each other and the latter had looked as though he knew secrets, pertinent secrets, the detective didn’t and it sent a chill down his spine.

“Holy shit,” Ryoma finally muttered, no other statement quite so fitting for their general thoughts.

“It took a while for the people in his class to trust him again,” Rantaro finally continued, carefully observing the reactions of those around him. He had already heard the stories, reacted on his own, and interpreted the information as he wished. “He’s a weird dude on top of it so it’s sometimes hard to read him.”

“So he understands what it’s like not being trusted by the class,” Korekiyo murmured thoughtfully, Angie nodding her head in agreement. “Under normal circumstances you’d expect your actions to have no consequences after your death, at least not any that you would personally need to face.”

“Kaito, I’m surprised you didn’t hear about this from Hajime,” Rantaro said, Kaito shaking his head in response.

“Why would he tell me any of this?” Rantaro gave a non-committal shrug.

“Well, he’s dating Nagito.”

“They’re _dating_?” Kaito asked. Shuichi saw Maki perk up slightly in her seat, a look of curiosity on her face.

“Are any of the others dating?” She asked, hands reaching to fiddle with her braids.

“Um yeah, a few of them.” Rantaro began to gesture again as he tried to recall the other couples. “Peko and Fuyuhiko, Sonia and Gundham, Kyoko and Makoto…I’m pretty sure Kyoko and Makoto are actually engaged.” Shuichi started at the mention of his mentor. How had he not picked up on them being together, or that Kyoko was in any sort of relationship at all? She didn’t wear a ring or act affectionate around the man. Then again she was always wearing gloves and also didn’t seem the type for public displays of affection.

“Rantaro, who told you all of this?” Kirumi questioned.

“Nagito did,” Rantaro answered simply. He frowned at the surprised looks thrown his way. “Do your mentors not tell you things?”

“My mentors don’t tell me anything,” Ryoma shared. “Or at least they’re vague as shit about the things they tell me.”

“He probably isn’t supposed to tell me what he tells me,” Rantaro admitted. The youngest lucky student then paused and gave a slight frown. “He probably wasn’t supposed to tell me those other things either.”

“Wait, what other-”

“I still don’t like this,” Miu interrupted. “So aside from the fact that he’s got a mentor team of powerful fucking blondes with talents about as concerning as his, he’s also protected by a crazy guy who tried to kill his entire class to inspire _hope_…and we’re supposed to _trust_ _him_?” She shot doubtful looks at everyone at the table and clapped her hands. “We’re. Supposed. To _TRUST HIM_?”

“Why does it matter if you do or don’t?” Shuichi questioned.

“Because _apparently_ we’re all supposed to become friendly little classmates and attend Hope’s Peak and act like nothing ever happened,” Maki ground out, her arms crossed as she pointedly avoided looking at Kaito. “He needs to apologize and show us he’s actually changed.”

“I’m gonna be in _victim _therapy with him,” Miu whined, a look of disgust on her face. “As if that little shit could be called a victim.”

“He _died_, Miu,” Kaito groaned, dropping his head to the table.

“He _asked _for it.”

“We’re just going around in circles with this,” Ryoma said suddenly, pushing his chair back and standing. Kirumi instantly stood with him. “I didn’t stay in the game all that long so I don’t really have a problem with the kid, and that’s all I’m gonna say. I’m turning in for the night.” With a half wave from Ryoma and a polite bow from Kirumi the pair bid farewell to the group and exited the cafeteria. Angie and Korekiyo shared a look and stood from the table as well, Rantaro and Shuichi following suit.

“I’m leaving too,” Shuichi declared, K1-B0 standing with him after a moment of hesitation.

“_Shuichi_.” Shuichi saw Maki’s expression, incredulous and betrayed, and he let out a sigh. Kaito had raised his head at the sounds of people leaving, though he made no move to follow suit. It was as if even while fighting he didn’t like the idea of leaving Maki’s side. The man looked so defeated, it was almost painful for Shuichi to see. The detective shook his head and turned his attention back to Miu and Maki.

“I’m not saying he’s completely innocent but you’re not even giving him the chance to defend himself. We’re just talking about him behind his back.” Shuichi fell quiet before a bitter laugh escaped his lips as he turned to leave. “And you wonder why he has trouble trusting people.”


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a little longer than usual but oh well, happy friday!

True to their word, the Future Foundation delivered a shipment of their belongings not long after the group meeting. Mentors delivered the respective belongings of their mentees including any additional items someone may have requested. Kyoko dropped off his boxes and, after Shuichi requested she stay with him while he looked through them, left and returned with tea.

The first box Shuichi opened, Kyoko sitting patiently to the side as she sipped her tea, contained his clothes. Various garments, all dark neutrals that Shuichi preferred to wear to avoid standing out too much, were folded neatly inside. On the top of the piles sat a black cap which Shuichi removed and held in his hands. He had never had any sort of negative experience that pushed him to avoid meeting people’s eyes like in the fabricated memories given to him in the program. However, Shuichi was never the most confident individual. He was simply quite introverted and had a tendency to shy away from gazes and unwanted attention. He had always worn the cap as a protective measure, something to keep him even more unnoticed.

He carefully set the cap off to the side and continued sorting through his clothes.

Shuichi settled on a dark grey button-up and jeans, happy to finally change out of the hospital garments and into something more familiar. After changing he moved on to a new box and was incredibly happy to see most of his novels inside. He loved the books Kyoko had been lending him but many from his own collection held a special place in his heart. In the same box as the novels there were stacks and stacks of journals, some full or partially filled and some empty. They were what Shuichi used to take notes during investigations and even when the case was completed, he’d still keep the information in the event that what he learned could aid him in his next case.

The rest of his belongings were unremarkable, mostly trinkets he recalled had been sitting on his desk or in his drawers at home. There was also what seemed to be a large tome, wrapped in paper with a note on the front reading ‘_SEEK APPROVAL FROM MENTOR BEFORE OPENING_’ so Shuichi handed it over to Kyoko.

“Ah,” She had said, her expression shifting to one of understanding as she took the book. “I believe these are any photos the Future Foundation operatives found in your home.” She handed the book back to Shuichi. “With the awareness that you’ve lost loved ones they wanted to be sure seeing photos of them wouldn’t produce destructively negative emotions. Thus the warning on the front.”

Shuichi held the scrapbook in his hands and stared down at it. Pictures of his mom and dad who he’d lost forever, friends and other family who he may never see again. He was grateful the Future Foundation had collected them, but they were something Shuichi wasn’t quite ready to look at right now. He gently set the book down next to his cap and stood, stretching his legs to work out the cramps that had grown from sitting on the floor.

“Will you be eating in the cafeteria for breakfast or would you like me to fetch you something to eat?” Kyoko asked, thankfully not commenting on Shuichi setting the book aside. She also thankfully understood his preference for isolation at times, how occasionally too much social interaction was quite draining for him. Shuichi shook his head and gave a slight smile.

“I think I’d like to be with the others right now.”

Ever since the pilot class had been cleared to have free roam of the hospital, Shuichi had been observing everyone’s day to day behaviors and tendencies. He had always been a bit of a people watcher, a habit developed from being a detective. He had come to notice certain patterns in how the other members of his class operated, especially with eating. There were some who would almost always take their meals in the cafeteria while others were like Shuichi and would only do it on occasion.

Angie and Korekiyo were always present and Shuichi expected it may be due to the former dragging the latter out to socialize as a form of exposure therapy. Fortunately it seemed to be working, as Korekiyo appeared to have become less hesitant and withdrawn lately. Tenko was often found with them unless she chose to sit separately with Himiko who was still avoiding Korekiyo. If Shuichi, K1-B0, or Maki were there then Himiko would sit with them instead. K1-B0 had no need to eat so he only ever appeared in the cafeteria to spend time with others. If Miu was absent from a meal he’d go off in search of her to make sure she had company. Ryoma and Kirumi usually made an effort to socialize, especially since they had been booted from the program early and lost the chance to interact with many of their classmates. Kaede was also making an effort though it was a bit more difficult for her, only emerging from her room if she was coaxed out by Shuichi or Rantaro, but she seemed to be getting better little by little. Kokichi rarely took meals in the cafeteria, only joining if both Miu and Maki were absent in which case he could be found sitting with Gonta, Kaito, or Rantaro.

The mentors were still present for interactions with their respective mentees and to monitor the halls in shifts, though they didn’t take meals with the pilot class. It had something to do with wanting the students to begin socializing on their own without having the mentors to lean on. It had been announced the once the students were cleared to explore the islands, everything would be available to them save for the cottages and hotel area on the first island. That was the private space where the mentors slept and had their own meals. So that day when Shuichi reached the cafeteria Kyoko bid him farewell with a smile and left to start her own day.

Today was a unique experience as Shuichi was able to see everyone in their preferred style of dress now that personal belongings had been distributed. The color spectrum and general aesthetics were fairly similar to how everyone dressed in the game but his classmates seemed to have collectively adopted comfortable and casual versions of their outfits, tending more towards sweaters and shorts over blazers and dress pants.

When Shuichi entered the cafeteria the first thing he saw was a very flustered Korekiyo being swarmed by many of the female members of the class. When Shuichi walked a bit closer he was able to gather the reason why. Korekiyo’s plain black medical face mask had been replaced by a black cotton mask with a very adorable design of a cartoon smile on the front. The girls were cooing over the mask, asking if the anthropologist had masks with other designs on them to which he timidly nodded his head. Shuichi huffed out a laugh and assembled a plate of food from the spread Teruteru managed to inconceivably cook for them each day.

Glancing around at the tables Shuichi noted the absence of Kokichi, expected considering Miu was in the room, but happily saw that Kaede had joined them that day. He made his way over her table, also occupied by Rantaro and Kaito, and caught the tail-end of whatever conversation they had been having.

“I’m telling you, you guys would really get along,” Rantaro was telling Kaede as Shuichi sat down with them. Rantaro glanced over and smiled. “Good morning, Shuichi.”

“Good morning. Who would get along with who?”

“The Ultimate Imposter and Kaede,” Rantaro answered, gesturing at Kaede who was poking at her food. She looked up as Shuichi sat down and gave a small wave that he returned. “I’m serious, you two had like the exact same protective leadership mindset in the game. _And_ they were taken out early on like you were.”

“_They_ didn’t _kill_ anyone,” Kaede argued.

“Neither did you technically,” Kaito murmured. The astronaut had tipped back his chair so only two legs remained on the ground as he peered around Kaede at the group of girls surrounding Korekiyo. He tipped back forward, the chair coming down with a thud, and rested his arms on the table. “You may be in killer therapy but let’s be real, it’s less for the killing and more for the execution trauma.”

The therapy groups had been meeting for a few days now. Killer therapy focused on the trauma associated with their kill and subsequent execution. Victim therapy focused on trauma associated with their murder and addressing where they stood in their relationship with their killer. Shuichi’s group, survivor therapy, focused on the potential guilt and helplessness they may have felt for seeing their classmates die and addressing their own relationships with the killers and victims.

“How has Kokichi been?” Shuichi asked, question directed at Rantaro. The luckster had fulfilled his promise of keeping an eye on Kokichi and Miu, even giving Shuichi updates on how the victim therapy group was faring.

“Still quiet unless Miu or Tenko provoke him. Then it’s a whole bunch of insults followed by more quiet,” Rantaro informed him with a shrug. “It helps that Nagito’s there. Also it seems like Hiyoko just likes to throw around insults for the fun of it so she’s been keeping _everyone_ in line by just…offending them into being quiet when it gets too rowdy.”

“Yeah, she can be ruthless if she wants you to shut up,” Kaede said with a giggle as she thought of her spitfire mentor. “It sort of comes from a place of love though?”

“How’s Maki been?” Kaito asked Shuichi.

“Fine,” The detective assured him. “Though every time Hajime starts talking about steps of forgiveness you can tell she just…tunes him out.” He frowned at Kaito. “Is she still…”

“Avoiding me? Yep,” Kaito answered, exaggeratedly popping the ending of the word as he took a swig of coffee. His tone and features were saturated with despair, a demeanor made even more startling in comparison to his normally cheery attitude. This was a man who Shuichi had seen smile even while coughing up his own blood. The Luminary of the Stars looked like the entire night sky had been stolen from him.

Shuichi hated this.

* * *

That night Shuichi was sitting in bed, one of his books opened but abandoned in his lap. He was staring across the room where the scrapbook of his family photos sat on a table. He still hadn’t opened the book, some sort of mental blocking keeping him from even getting close to it. Instead he would stare at it from afar and become lost in thought for episodes of time. Shuichi blinked and shook his head, bookmarking his novel and setting it aside. As he rose to turn off his lights he was once again interrupted by a knock on his door, the feeling of déjà vu settling uncomfortably on his shoulders. However, it wasn’t K1-B0 on the other side of the door this time.

“Let’s go, Shuichi.” It was Kaito, standing in the hall wearing purple galaxy patterned pajama pants and a t-shirt, his hospital robe once again covering his left arm and hanging off his right shoulder. He said nothing more to Shuichi before turning and starting off down the hall. Shuichi hesitated for a moment before closing his door and quickly following after. The detective nearly ran into Aoi and Akane who were monitoring the halls as he turned a corner, the latter giving a boisterous laugh as she nimbly dodged and spun him in the right direction.

“Where are we going?” Shuichi questioned, stumbling a bit before finding his footing and continuing to blindly follow the astronaut as he led them to a stairwell.

“To train,” Kaito answered as they ascended the stairs. Shuichi cringed as he tiredly followed Kaito through a door at the top, the pair of them exiting out onto the open rooftop of the hospital.

“I don’t know if I’m up for pushups, Kaito,” Shuichi confessed, rubbing the back of his neck. Kaito laughed, the brightest sound Shuichi had heard from him in days, as he shook his head.

“You don’t need to,” Kaito promised. “I mostly just wanted to show you the roof.”

“The…roof?” Shuichi repeated, looking around at the space. It was a surprisingly welcoming looking area. Concrete benches surrounded a small garden plot filled with various overgrowing plants. Solar-powered lanterns connected by metal bars to form a fence studded the border of the roof at fixed intervals, providing enough soft illumination to get around in the dark.

“Well, mostly show you what’s above the roof,” Kaito corrected, gesturing a hand upwards. Shuichi followed the motion and looked up, letting out a soft gasp. The night sky above them was saturated with stars, more vivid than Shuichi had ever seen them. The islands around them gave off so little light pollution that their glow was unobstructed. Shuichi looked back down at Kaito to see the astronaut had a soft smile on his face as he observed Shuichi’s awe. “And ya know, hang out for old times’ sake.”

The two took a seat on one of the concrete benches and stared up at the stars for a bit, Kaito occasionally pointing out constellations. Shuichi, like the rest of the class, hadn’t been outside of the hospital yet so being out in the open felt so different from just having the window of his room open for fresh air. The climate of Jabberwock Island was incredibly pleasant, warm from the sun yet cooled by a daytime breeze while the nighttime air still held onto the warmth from the day to keep off the chill. It would have felt like a paradise vacation had it not been for the circumstances.

“Hey, Kaito. Can I ask you something?” Shuichi asked, breaking their companionable silence. Kaito made a noise of affirmation but said nothing. “Why are you so protective of Kokichi?”

“Oh come on, not you too,” Kaito groaned, the enthusiasm he had fostered from gazing at the stars beginning to leave him as he prepared for an argument.

“No, it’s fine that you are,” Shuichi quickly told him. “Honestly I’m glad that you two get along now. It’s just…” Kaito gave him a questioning look and Shuichi shrugged. “You’ve had to fight a lot with Maki.” Kaito gave an understanding nod as his jaw clenched. He was silent for a bit, mulling over his words.

“It sucks,” He simply said, voice cracking ever so slightly.

“I would imagine,” Shuichi replied. “So what have you seen in Kokichi that’s made you willing to even fight Maki over it?” Shuichi understood why Kaito would be somewhat on Kokichi’s side. Based on what he said during his trial it seemed as though the two of them had finally seen eye to eye and developed some sort of mutual respect. However the extent to which Kaito was now defending Kokichi was bordering on excessive and Shuichi was having a hard time understanding why. “Why do you trust him?”

Kaito was silent for a while, staring up at the stars again. Shuichi waited patiently by his side, gradually accepting that Kaito either didn’t want to answer or didn’t have an answer as the minutes ticked by. But then Kaito finally spoke after clearing his throat and rubbing at his face.

“I can’t…” He let out a breath. “I won’t say everything because there’s some stuff that isn’t mine to tell.” 

“That’s fine,” Shuichi promised with a nod. Another minute passed and Kaito let out another breath.

“Right from the start Kokichi admitted he was a liar, right? He straight up _told _us,” He began. “What kind of liar _tells_ people they’re going to lie?”

“The kind who knows they’ll get away with it regardless,” Shuichi countered. He wasn’t trying to dismantle Kaito’s argument from the start but he knew from experience that you wouldn’t get the most honest answers unless you pushed people. He couldn’t say yes and support everything that came out of Kaito’s mouth, he needed to play devil’s advocate.

“Everyone lies,” Kaito went on. “I cheated my way into taking the astronaut exams. Maki lied about her talent. I’m sure you’ve lied at some point since I’ve known you...no offense.”

“None taken,” Shuichi murmured. Kaito stood from the bench and began to pace the area of the roof, arms gesturing wide as he spoke.

“Everyone lies but no one likes to acknowledge it,” He explained. “And why should they? If you admit to telling lies people start to question if you ever tell the truth.”

“It’s a valid concern,” Shuichi supplied. “Constantly lying is toxic behavior.”

“So is killing people,” Kaito shot back. Shuichi fell silent as Kaito stopped pacing and dropped his arms to his sides. “Everything that happened in that fucking game is toxic behavior. So if we’re forgiving some of it why aren’t we forgiving all of it?” Shuichi remained silent, not yet supplying a counter-argument to Kaito’s point. “Kokichi’s not willing to kill so he just found a different way to survive the game and win.”

“He could have come to the rest of the group for help,” Shuichi suggested, the same idea many of them had been proposing since the large meeting days prior, curious to see what Kaito would say in opposition to it.

“The rest of the group?” Kaito questioned, clearly ready with a rebuttal. “You mean the group with Tsumugi in it?” Shuichi blinked and kept his features neutral. He didn’t mention that he had been thinking the same thing ever since he brought up the argument in the first place. If Kokichi had told everyone his plans that would have included the mastermind. “He took risks just involving Gonta and me in his plans. He didn’t have blind trust in everyone and he was _right_ to.” Kaito made his way back over to Shuichi and dropped down to sit on the bench. He was quiet for another moment, Shuichi silent and patient by his side, before continuing. “I’m more defensive than I need to be, I’m well aware. He’s outright told me that I don’t need to speak on his behalf. But I only do it because if I don’t make it clear that I’m completely and totally on his side then I think people will start seeing him as unredeemable.”

“There’s surely a different way to go about it,” Shuichi proposed. Arguments weren’t where progress was made, there needed to be calm and fair discussion. Kaito shrugged and gave a broken chuckle.

“I’m not good at debates,” He admitted. “I knew enough to know I needed to leave you in charge in the class trials. You’re good at making your point while acknowledging the opinions of others.”

“Well, you can’t do all the fighting. You shouldn’t have to,” Shuichi told him, reaching out to place a hand on Kaito’s shoulder. “It should come from him too.” The astronaut just shook his head.

“They won’t care if he wants to apologize, they won’t even believe him if he does.” Kaito glanced over at Shuichi, a glint of purpose in his eyes, before looking up at the stars again. “Right now he deserves to have _someone_ believe him.”


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **TRIGGER WARNING**: Suicidal ideation/intention
> 
> Tags have been added to reflect the warning but please let me know if you feel any additional warnings should be added anywhere

Time passed steadily in the hospital, therapy continuing on as scheduled. The pilot class still hadn’t been given clearance to explore the islands but they also hadn’t lost their privilege of lacking a curfew so Shuichi counted it as a win. Tsumugi was still being kept separate from them and as promised they weren’t hearing anything about her recovery.

Shuichi found himself in bed with a book most nights, able to actually sleep when no one was knocking on his door and requesting some sort of meeting. However, some nights the reading wasn’t enough to put him to sleep. On those nights he found himself wandering the hospital, occasionally engaging in polite conversation with any mentors making their rounds, and would most often end up on the roof to gaze at the stars for a while.

This was one such night. Shuichi had abandoned his novel and made his way up to the roof, eager to enjoy the pleasant natural noise of the ocean’s waves crashing on the beach. He stepped through the door and took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the island’s cool salty air.

“What are you doing here?” Shuichi choked mid-breath and quickly looked around as he coughed. Typically no one else was on this level, especially at this time of night. The only person Shuichi had encountered before was Kaito but the astronaut never questioned his presence given the fact that he showed Shuichi the roof in the first place.

“Kokichi?” His eyes finally landed on the body standing over on one side of the roof, leaning against the railing that surrounded the area. He was staring at Shuichi with wide eyes, expression not easily readable with the given light. Shuichi gave a polite smile and began to make his way over to him. “I didn’t realize anyone else came up here.”

“Pretty sure I asked you a question, Shuichi.” Shuichi’s steps faltered and he came to a stop a few feet away. From this distance he noticed with a start that Kokichi seemed almost irritated, coldness seeping into his voice but Shuichi couldn’t tell the reason why. He was usually quite happy to see Shuichi.

“Oh, um…” Shuichi withered under the unfriendly gaze Kokichi was sending him and rubbed at the back of his neck. He turned his own gaze upwards to stare at the stars, giving himself an excuse to look away. “I don’t know if it’s just Kaito’s influence but I’ve found I really like looking up at the stars lately.” He smiled a bit, thinking of said astronaut’s contagious enthusiasm about space. He looked back at Kokichi and was relieved to see the other was no longer staring at him with malice. However, now his expression held no emotion whatsoever. “So why are you up here?”

Kokichi blinked once, then twice, before looking away from Shuichi and out towards the ground below. He was silent for a while and Shuichi began to question why. Perhaps he didn’t wish to answer or maybe it was taking him longer than usual to come up with a witty lie about what he was doing.

“I was thinking of jumping off the roof,” Kokichi finally answered, voice detached and unaffected by the weight of the statement. Shuichi gave a short uncomfortable chuckle at the morbid joke but soon fell silent as he watched Kokichi continue to peer over the edge of the roof. The Ultimate Supreme Leader hadn’t laughed or even smiled, his expression blank when he spoke. Over time Shuichi had noticed something about his expression being blank, that it usually accompanied the absolute truth. But Kokichi was just lying about jumping, right? He couldn’t possibly be serious. Yet the way he was staring so intently over the edge…

“You’re not-”

“Do you think it’s high enough?” Kokichi cut Shuichi off, his hands coming up to grip the railing. “The last thing I’d want is to survive and have to deal with the injuries. And then I’d probably be put under surveillance-”

“Kokichi.” Shuichi didn’t like this, didn’t like the tone of Kokichi’s voice or the fact that he still hadn’t looked over at the detective and claimed it all to be a lie. He was waiting for the reveal, the teasing about how easy it was to fool Shuichi, but it wasn’t coming and Shuichi was scared. “Do you actually want to kill yourself?”

“Nooooo no no no,” Kokichi drawled. Shuichi let out a breath that immediately caught in his throat as Kokichi pulled himself up to sit on the railing. Shuichi watched with wide eyes as the supreme leader swung his legs over so he faced the edge, a single movement away from dropping over it completely. “Maybe.”

Shuichi took a step forward, quickly stopping as Kokichi tensed form hearing the movement. “B-but you…I mean, _why_ would you-”

“_Why_?” Koichi finally turned to look at Shuichi and the detective was horrified to see angry tears had begun streaming down his face. He had seen Kokichi cry before but those had usually been crocodile tears, false emotion meant to screw with people, and this was _different_. “You’re the fucking detective here and you can’t tell _why_?” His voice was growing louder and cracking with emotion. “D.I.C.E is dead. My _family _is _dead_. I have _nothing._” Shuichi took another step forward, stopping again when Kokichi shifted on the railing. Instead he held up his hands in a placating manner to show he wasn’t trying anything.

“We all lost our families. That’s why we’re becoming each other’s family, we’re getting through this together.”

“Oh, _are_ we?” Kokichi’s tone had become mocking. “Because all I’ve experienced so far is no one trusting me because of the shit I pulled in the killing game.” Kokichi had begun shaking and Shuichi worried about just how strong his grip on the railing was. “Everyone’s being forgiven, even the killers. I didn’t kill anyone and what do I get? I get glares sent my way when I walk into a room. I get people thinking everything that comes out of my mouth is a fucking lie.” His mouth twisted up into a bitter smile. “I’m alone…and I always will be.”

Shuichi swore his heart stopped as ice settled in his veins. Those were his words. It was what he told Kokichi after Gonta’s execution when the boy had truly started spiraling. Shuichi had said no one wanted to be around Kokichi, that he’d always be alone. And after that Kokichi had said he was bored, that he didn’t care anymore.

“Kokichi-”

“_NO_,” He snapped, voice sounding so incredibly broken. Shuichi had never heard this much continuous raw emotion come from Kokichi, not even when he was acting in the game. “I didn’t _want_ to lie to people, I _had_ to.” Kokichi looked back over the edge of the roof. “And now my presence is just making the rest of you fight each other. Do you think I don’t feel guilty? That I don’t have regrets?”

“Then just tell the others that,” Shuichi pleaded but Kokichi only shook his head.

“They won’t trust me enough to believe it,” He argued, sounding so sure of his words. Shuichi would guess that he had already considered the option and reasoned that it wasn’t worth trying. “No one fucking trusts me now.”

“But Kaito-”

“That idiot?” Kokichi barked out a bitter laugh and shook his head. “He probably feels like he owes me for sparing his stupid girlfriend.”

“Then what about me?”

“What _about_ you, Saihara?” Kokichi practically snarled.

“Why do I trust you?” Shuichi watched as Kokichi froze, his grip tightening ever so slightly on the railing. “Because I do…I trust you, Kokichi.”

“_Stop_.”

“I mean it,” Shuichi promised, almost shocked to find that he truly did mean it though he pushed those feelings to the side for the moment. Kokichi was quiet before he finally turned to face him again. His eyes were red rimmed but the tears had stopped falling.

“You could be lying,” Kokichi accused softly. “And don’t say you wouldn’t because you did in the trials.”

“But you can tell, can’t you,” Shuichi told him. “You’d know if I was lying.” Kokichi sniffed but said nothing. Shuichi took a hesitant step forward and was relieved beyond belief to see Kokichi didn’t move this time. “Kokichi, please come away from the edge,” He pleaded, carefully moving closer before he held out a hand. “Please…for me.” Kokichi stared at the offered hand, a myriad of emotions filtering through his eyes. Finally he slowly swung himself back around to face the roof and released his white-knuckle grip of the railing to take Shuichi’s hand, the detective tightly gripping the boy’s cold fingers.

“Only for you,” Kokichi murmured, almost in a daze. “You are my favorite, after all.” Shuichi gently pulled Kokichi off the railing towards him, catching the boy in his arms as he stumbled from weak legs. He wrapped his arms around Kokichi in a crushing embrace and for a moment the supreme leader tensed like he wanted to pull away before he finally relaxed into the hold. Kokichi slowly raised his own arms up to return the hug as he buried his face into Shuichi’s chest. He felt Kokichi begin to shake again, muffled cries filling the silence as the detective continued to hold him. They stood there for a while, Shuichi wasn’t sure exactly how long, until Kokichi eventually stopped crying. Kokichi pulled away slightly and Shuichi let him, though he kept a loose grip on the other’s arm. He pulled him along to sit on one of the benches, Kokichi tiredly dropping down onto it like he was dead weight.

“I’m sorry,” Shuichi finally said once they were settled, shoulders pressed tightly together as they sat side by side. Kokichi sniffed again and wiped at his face with his sleeve before he looked over at Shuichi.

“What for?” He asked, expression confused. Shuichi took his own sleeve and gently wiped at the tear tracks Kokichi had missed. Kokichi seemed to lean into the touch but Shuichi must have been imagining it.

“I should have done something. I knew the others were being cruel to you, I just didn’t think it bothered you that much. It never seemed to bother you during the game.” Shuichi paused and let out a wry chuckle. “But that was probably just another lie, huh?” Kokichi smirked, and though it was a tired expression it was much closer to the faces he normally wore and that made Shuichi smile.

“Are you sure you’re the Ultimate Detective?” He teased, leaning his body weight into Shuichi’s side. Shuichi laughed and pushed back against him.

“I honestly question that myself,” He confessed. Kokichi stopped pushing and his smirk faded as he regarded Shuichi with a blank expression.

“You shouldn’t,” Kokichi murmured, reaching up to poke Shuichi’s cheek. Shuichi stared back at him with wide eyes and before he even realized what he was doing, reached out and snatched the hand Kokichi had just poked him with. Kokichi’s eyes widened in response as he looked down at his hand clutched within Shuichi’s.

“The others will trust you again, I’ll make sure of it,” Shuichi promised him, squeezing his hand lightly. Kokichi looked like he was about to pull his hand away but then seemed to think against it, turning his fingers instead so he was gripping Shuichi’s hand in return.

“I won’t stop lying…I can’t,” Kokichi told him, voice quiet. He was still staring at their joined hands, almost fascinated by the sight of it.

“That’s okay,” Shuichi reassured him with a nod. “The others will just have to learn to understand that.” At that Kokichi actually pulled his hand back, sighing as he once again met Shuichi’s gaze. His face had scrunched up and Shuichi found himself panicking at the thought that he had unintentionally upset Kokichi.

“They won’t,” Kokichi told him with a shake of his head. Shuichi opened his mouth to argue but Kokichi interrupted him before he could. “Shuichi, I get that you’re just trying to calm me down right now but at least be rational with the things you’re saying. People don’t just learn to _understand_ the fact that they’re going to be lied to.”

“Is there any way you could not…lie?” Shuichi suggested, realizing how foolish the idea sounded even as he said it. Kokichi gave him a look that confirmed the suggestion was impractical and Shuichi shrugged. “Or at least try to lie less.”

“Easier said than done,” Kokichi answered, though he sounded moderately willing to make the attempt. Kokichi stared at Shuichi’s hand like he regretted letting go of it and frowned. “But then what’s even the point in trying to change if they’re never going to believe I actually have?”

“Like I said,” Shuichi swore, once again taking Kokichi’s hand in his. “leave that part to me.”


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I was super anxious about that last chapter but so far its been recieved great so thank you so much for that
> 
> Happy Holidays everybody!

They couldn’t stay on the roof forever. It was already so late and they needed sleep, especially after an ordeal as draining as the one they had just been through. Shuichi wasn’t even sure how long they had stayed up there but it was clearly too long based on the way Kokichi was beginning to doze off with his head on Shuichi’s shoulder as exhaustion caught up to him. As they walked back into the hospital Kokichi linked his arm through Shuichi’s like they were a Victorian couple taking a stroll through the park. Shuichi found himself enjoying the warm feeling of having Kokichi pressed against his side. They were quiet as they walked, Shuichi trying to figure out the best way to ask if Kokichi would like to be walked back to his room or maybe even stay the night in Shuichi’s room. The hospital beds were small but if he didn’t want to be left alone right now then maybe-

“What are you two doing up so late?” Shuichi nearly jumped at the sudden voice coming down the hall. He looked up and saw it was Nagito who spoke, Hajime by his side. They seemed to be patrolling together and had just turned the corner down at the end of the hallway. “I know there’s no curfew but still.”

“Oh, I um…” Shuichi fumbled for an explanation, looking over at Kokichi to see if the one who was actually good at lying had a plan. But Kokichi was simply staring ahead at Nagito, something akin to a mixture of disappointment and shame beginning to paint his features. Shuichi looked back at the mentors who had walked closer as they waited for an answer. “I had a bad dream. Kokichi was just helping me calm down. We went out onto the roof for some air.” Nagito made a small noise of surprise that morphed into one of understanding, seemingly accepting Shuichi’s cobbled together excuse. Hajime on the other hand looked unimpressed and opened his mouth to respond before someone else beat him to it.

“Wow, you suck at lying,” Kokichi muttered beside him, loud enough for everyone to hear. Shuichi tensed and whipped his head back to stare at Kokichi. The supreme leader had his head cast down, eyes staring at the floor.

“_Kokichi_,” Shuichi hissed through his teeth. Kokichi was known for calling out his own lies but he never really called out Shuichi’s, especially not in situations that mattered like the one they were facing right now. Kokichi sighed and raised his eyes, looking not at Shuichi or Hajime but at Nagito.

“The thoughts came back,” He murmured softly. Nagito’s eyes widened ever so slightly. The older lucky student now looked at Shuichi’s arm linked with Kokichi’s and drew in a breath.

“I told you to try and find a mentor if that happened again,” Nagito simply said, voice stern but gentle. Kokichi’s eyes dropped to the floor again and Nagito sighed. He turned to Hajime who was silently watching the exchange with the same curiosity Shuichi was. “Would you bring Kokichi to his room and stay with him? I’d like to speak with Shuichi.” Shuichi felt Kokichi tense beside him as the boy immediately tried to dissuade the idea of separation.

“You don’t need to-”

“Let’s go, Kokichi,” Hajime interrupted him, reaching out a hand to gently guide him away from Shuichi. Kokichi slowly detached from his side and Shuichi felt coldness seep into the places where he had been pressed up against him. “It’s late, you should be sleeping.” Kokichi reluctantly walked away with Hajime, but not before casting one last glance back towards Shuichi and Nagito. There was worry in his eyes and Shuichi gave him what he hoped was a reassuring smile until the pair turned the corner and disappeared from sight. Shuichi glanced over and saw that Nagito had been watching him, a curious look on his face similar to the one he had given Shuichi at the first group meeting. The detective began to open his mouth to speak when Nagito suddenly gave a bright smile.

“How do you take your tea?”

* * *

“Kokichi’s not in trouble…right?” Shuichi clutched his cup of tea tightly in his hands. Nagito had led them both to the cafeteria and made tea, perfectly nonchalant while Shuichi’s mind raced as he followed the mentor along. They were both sitting across from each other at a table now, Nagito gently tapping the side of his cup with his metal fingers so it made a soft pinging noise. The older man had been silently observing Shuichi as the younger fidgeted in his seat, that same curious look on his face.

“What happened up on the roof?” Nagito finally asked, voice soft. “I could always look at our surveillance footage but I’d rather hear it from you.” Shuichi mentally smacked himself. He was foolish for trying to lie earlier, stupidly forgetting that while they had no curfew the pilot class was still being monitored. He let out a sigh and took a sip of his tea before explaining.

“I went up there to look at the stars and Kokichi was already there. He said he was thinking of jumping off the roof.” Shuichi’s throat began to tighten as he recalled Kokichi’s cold demeanor on the roof. Looking back on it he was probably just upset someone had interrupted him. “At first I thought he was lying but…”

“And you talked him out of it,” Nagito offered, trying to coax more out of Shuichi.

“I guess,” Shuichi murmured with a shrug. All he had really done was beg and realize how naïve he had been to not see how much Kokichi was hurting.

“What do you imagine would have happened had you not been there?” Nagito asked, prompting Shuichi’s brow to furrow. Shuichi wasn’t some big hero who saved the day, he had just happened to be there. Anyone else could have probably talked Kokichi down from the edge. Shuichi wasn’t special.

“I don’t…” He trailed off, both without an answer and also not inclined to contemplate what could have happened if Kokichi had actually followed through with his intentions. Nagito allowed the silence to continue for a moment more before finally speaking again, still tapping his metal fingers against the cup of tea.

“Originally I was only meant to be Rantaro’s mentor,” Nagito explained, looking down to watch the steam rise from his cup. “However, as we watched your game play out and noticed how Kokichi’s actions were estranging him from the rest of the class it was decided I’d also mentor him. You see, I was left in a similar state following the end of my game so I understood how the aftermath would affect him.” Nagito looked up at Shuichi. The detective could do nothing more than stare back in silence, feeling almost hypnotized by the older man’s soothing voice and the rhythmic tapping of his prosthesis. “Kokichi needs someone to ground him, to remind him he’s a part of the group. I have a feeling you could be that someone.” When Shuichi’s expression twisted into one of disbelief Nagito smiled. “He’s told me that you’re his favorite.”

“He thinks I’m not boring,” Shuichi conceded. “Which I think, for him, is a huge compliment.” He thought back to what he’d said to Kokichi to get him off of the railing, how he’d pleaded and asked Kokichi to do it for him. Another memory rose to mind, a more distant one from the large group meeting when Nagito had wrapped his arms around Kokichi and the younger boy had seemed so at ease in the embrace. “How did you and Kokichi get so close?” Nagito looked thoughtful for a moment, almost like he hadn’t expected that to be the question Shuichi asked next.

“Common ground. I lacked social awareness…” Nagito paused and let out a chuckle. “Let’s be honest, I still do. It’s not something I can easily control, it’s just how I am. Not a lot of people have the patience to deal with it so it causes conflicts.”

“Like Kokichi’s lying,” Shuichi connected, Nagito nodding in agreement.

“Hajime dealt with it. Not only that, he helped me with it.” Nagito gave a soft but bittersweet smile. “I wasn’t healthy. I was paranoid and apathetic and held no value in my own life.” He looked at his prosthesis, bending the fingers to create a soft mechanical whirring. “He helped get the others to be more patient while I healed.” Shuichi perked up at that. He assumed Nagito was telling him this because of how similar his story was to Kokichi, and if that was the case then maybe there was hope for the current predicament.

“So you’re better now then?” Shuichi asked hopefully, shoulders sagging when the mentor shook his head.

“No, still sick,” Nagito corrected, smiling despite his words. “It would take several miracles to undo what’s been done to me and I don’t believe my luck is strong enough for that. I’ll likely never fall within the standards of what you or someone else considers normal.”

“Do you think Kokichi could?” Shuichi questioned, still optimistic. “You know, be considered normal.” Nagito’s smile fell at Shuichi’s words, morphing into a careful expression of caution and warning. Shuichi sensed he had said something wrong and racked his brain to correct it.

“Do you think he needs to be?” Nagito asked, the same sense of a looming threat in his expression carrying into his voice. Shuichi felt a chill go down his spine as he gave a hesitant shrug.

“Well, it would make it easier for everyone else to-”

“Can you say with confidence that everyone else in your class could be considered _normal_?” Nagito challenged. Shuichi blinked and stared down at his tea, no longer able to meet the icy gaze of the older man. From his tone it felt like Nagito was a teacher scolding a student, attempting to steer them in the right direction so they could arrive at the answer on their own rather than have it handed over to them.

“No,” Shuichi conceded quietly, though his answer still did not cause Nagito’s cold demeanor to fall.

“Do _you_ need him to be normal?” He questioned. Shuichi clutched his cup tighter and stared down at the stray tea leaves floating in the cloudy water. _Normal._ That was such an unfair label Shuichi found himself ashamed he tried to use it to describe an ideal person in the first place. Normal was expected, conforming to a standard that someone else established. Normal was typical, it was…it was boring. Of course he didn’t want Kokichi to be normal, he’d lose everything that made him who he was.

“I just want him to be happy,” Shuichi finally answered, words tumbling naturally from his mouth as if the answer had been obvious all along. He raised his eyes and met Nagito’s gaze. “I want him to feel safe.” Apparently those were the words that needed to be said as a smile returned to Nagito’s face.

“Perhaps he needs to hear that.” Once again Shuichi’s face contorted into an expression of doubt.

“I don’t think he would care all that much,” Shuichi mused as he lifted his tea to take a sip. “He says I’m his favorite but then why does he still lie to me or push me away?”

Despite the fact that he’d since acknowledged how foolish of a move it would have been to involve the rest of the group in his plans, Shuichi still couldn’t help but feel betrayed that Kokichi had kept so many secrets from him during the game. When Shuichi had seen the whiteboard in his room, read the note by his photo that deemed him potentially trustworthy, he wondered if that was truly the case. He could understand why he’d keep the others in the dark but why group Shuichi with them if he was someone to trust?

“I was always quite paranoid that my cycle of good and bad luck would hurt those around me,” Nagito told him, head tilted to the side and eyes staring off into the distance as he recalled more of his past. “I felt so lucky to be with someone like Hajime but I feared my bad luck would take him away from me. So instead I would often ruin my own good luck to get ahead of the bad.”

“That sounds insane,” Shuichi heard himself saying before his brain could catch up. His eyes widened and he began to fumble for an apology before Nagito’s kindhearted laughter silenced him.

“Yeah,” Nagito agreed. “Nevertheless it was how my mind worked. And Hajime and the others learned that when I started to lash out or distance myself, it wasn’t because I hated them but because I wanted to protect them.”

“So what you’re saying is…Kokichi wants to protect me?” Shuichi questioned, still quite skeptical. Kokichi had often seemed fonder of him than the others but it always came across to Shuichi as akin to the interest a child would have in a new toy. He was something fascinating, a pawn to use in the game until he proved himself no longer useful.

“As much as he strives to protect himself, he’s always sought to protect those around him as well,” Nagito argued, observing but not commenting on the touch of sadness that had begun to seep into Shuichi’s features. “From the very start of your game his intentions, however questionable, were to end the killing game and keep people alive.” Shuichi pondered the argument, filing it away in his mind to evaluate later while also shuffling through the questions he had been saving for a conversation such as this.

“Rantaro said that you set up a trap in your killing game, like Kokichi and Kaito did,” Shuichi mentioned carefully, watching Nagito’s reaction to see if he had touched on anything sensitive. The mentor seemed fine, staring back at Shuichi expectantly as he sipped on his tea. He didn’t even seem surprised to hear that Rantaro had spoken about him to his classmates. “That it looked like a suicide but your luck made it a murder.” Nagito gave a thoughtful hum and nodded his head.

“I stabbed myself,” He said, Shuichi’s eyes widening in response.

“…Oh.”

“Like, a lot.”

“O-oh,” Shuichi repeated, now confusedly trying to work out exactly how a self-stabbing was made to look like a murder. “So you…bled out?”

“Oh no, I was poisoned,” Nagito corrected, very nonchalant for a man speaking about how he was killed. Shuichi’s eyes widened even more as he struggled to grasp at the pieces of information given to him and fit them together to form a proper case. Nagito chuckled as he watched the gears turn in Shuichi’s mind, the young detective looking borderline distraught at the illogicality of the account. “Hmm, how interesting. Have I stumped the new Ultimate Detective?” At that question Shuichi looked almost frightened, as if being unable to solve one case would strip him of his ultimate title. “Don’t feel bad, there are a lot of missing details. How could a detective be expected to solve a case with a lack of evidence?”

“I guess,” Shuichi conceded, feeling quite defeated regardless. The two sat in silence for a moment, occasionally sipping at their cooling cups of tea as Shuichi tried to curb his curiosity before it gave him a headache. Finally Nagito drew in a breath to speak and Shuichi was caught off guard at hearing him loop back to their previous conversation.

“Kokichi’s already starting in a better place than I did,” Nagito told him, reminding him of the real reason they were sitting there together. “His plan was to end the game, not kill his classmates, so there’s less damage control to be done.”

“I just don’t know how I’m going to convince everyone to give him a second chance,” Shuichi confessed. He felt like speaking with Nagito had brought him three steps forward before dragging him five steps back. He had so many more questions and most of them would likely only result in more confusion. He still had no idea how he’d resolve all the conflict in their little pilot class and now he was even more fearful of what could happen if things stayed as they were.

“Well, you don’t need to convince _everyone_,” Nagito reasoned, pulling Shuichi out of his anxious thoughts. Shuichi tilted his head to the side and furrowed his brow, confused as to what the mentor meant. Nagito simply smiled, that same look that meant he knew more than he was letting on. “Kokichi already has more people on his side than he thinks…or rather, than he wants to believe. It’s just a matter of finding his allies.”


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We be explorin

They had been cleared to explore the islands.

The therapy groups had been going well, or at least as well as the mentors had hoped, and so the clearance of the pilot class was being expanded. Everyone needed to be escorted by a mentor, not necessarily their own, but they could explore and everyone was taking advantage of the good weather to do so. The 77th class had generated a map of the islands, a simple diagram showing where things were and offering short descriptions of different buildings and locations. Kyoko entered Shuichi’s room that morning after breakfast with a copy of the map and found the young detective furiously writing in one of his journals.

“So, you have basically all of Jabberwock Island at your disposal,” She had told him, tapping the map in her hands. “What would you like to do today?” Shuichi marked one last thing, shut the journal, and looked up at Kyoko with determination shining in his eyes.

“Investigate.”

\----- Third Island: Electric Avenue -----

After explaining what he intended to do that day, Kyoko had informed Shuichi that she supported his plan but would only accompany as a silent escort so that his investigation would be all his own. It didn’t take long to find K1-B0 and Miu considering Kazuichi’s territory of tech and machinery was located on the same island as the hospital. As he approached Electric Avenue he was greeted with the sight of Miu, goggles similar to the ones she wore in the game covering her eyes, with tools in hand as she took apart some sort of circuit board at a work bench. K1-B0 was standing at another bench watching Kazuichi work with an angle grinder, the mentor’s face covered by the tinted visor of a face shield. Miu looked up when the detectives approached, raising her goggles as she squinted at Shuichi.

“You here to talk about the purple bitch?” She questioned immediately. Shuichi’s once determined steps faltered at her words.

“Ye…yes?”

“I’ll be over there,” She called over her shoulder, clearly directed at her mentor who briefly looked up from his work and nodded to indicate he had heard. Miu glanced at Shuichi one more time before leaving her table, walking over to what looked to be a group of generators and engines in various stages of being dismantled or put together. The rest of them watched as she sat down, once again lowered her goggles, and began tinkering with the machines. Her actions made it very clear that there was no invitation to follow after her.

“Ya know, for how much she calls herself a genius, she’s gotta admire the brains of that kid.” Shuichi looked back over to see Kazuichi had stopped working and raised the visor of his face shield. His words were only loud enough for the immediate group, likely unheard from the distance Miu had moved away. “I mean, I _watched_ the trials. Between the analysis and the ability to lie you’d have been screwed if Kokichi actually wanted to kill someone.” He waved his grinder in the air, moving it in a circular motion pointed towards his head. “It’s like Izuru Kamakura level intelligence.” Shuichi frowned at that. Hajime had explained the Kamakura project to all of them but it was Shuichi’s understanding that while Hajime retained the talents, Izuru no longer existed.

“Don’t you mean…Hajime level?” Shuichi corrected. The corner of Kazuichi’s mouth quirked up slightly as the mechanic shrugged.

“Tomayto, tomahto,” He said in response, flipping his visor back down as he returned to his project. “They’re both in there.” Shuichi’s eyes widened as he attempted to comprehend Kazuichi’s words. He would have nearly forgotten what he was there to do in the first place had K1-B0 not walked over and gently nudged his shoulder.

“You look like a man on a mission,” K1-B0 observed, though his gaze was still on Miu. Shuichi blinked and watched his friend, K1-B0’s features clearly settled into an expression of concern as he watched the inventor work from afar. He and Miu had been incredibly close in the game, bordering on being a couple, and K1-B0 was really the only one she acted like her true self with. Shuichi suddenly realized K1-B0 may not be on his side as much as he initially thought.

“Keebo, I-”

“I trust you and I want the fighting to stop,” K1-B0 interrupted as he finally turned to look at Shuichi, expression now quite stern. The detective’s mouth snapped closed and the robot nodded. “Whatever you’ve got planned, I’m on your side. Just _fix_ this.”

\----- Central Island: Monument -----

The five outer islands were connected to a smaller central one by bridges constructed by the 77th class. There hadn’t originally been bridges due to concerns for the environment but Hajime and Kazuichi had been able to develop more compatible, safe structures for ease of travel. Shuichi needed to cross through the central island to reach the others, something he hadn’t considered a problem until he saw that Kokichi was on the central island that day.

Kyoko had explained that there had original been an administration building there but the 77th class had torn it down and renovated the central island to be a park area with a monument at the center. The monument was a sculpture comprised of metal pieces and gears melded together beautifully to form the structure. It had been a collaborative project designed by Ryota, Mahiru, and Sonia and built by Hajime and Kazuichi, a memorial for an individual who the pilot class hadn’t yet been told much about. The statue was of a young woman with short hair sitting cross-legged on the platform, head tilted down to look at the game console held in her hands. Similar game consoles were mounted around the platform, one on each of the four sides, though these consoles were actually working and playable.

Kokichi stood at one of these consoles now, playing one of the video game options that had been loaded into it. Nagito sat a distance away from him on one of the park benches, watchful but relaxed as he read a book. Rantaro sat sprawled out on the grass below him, head tilted back and eyes closed as he lounged beneath the island sun. Nagito and Rantaro looked up as Shuichi and Kyoko passed, each giving them polite smiles but saying nothing. Kokichi hadn’t turned around and for a moment Shuichi believed he’d be able to pass without detection.

“Where are you sneaking off to, Shumai?” Shuichi froze, spinning back around to look at Kokichi. The supreme leader still hadn’t turned away from his game yet he clearly had somehow known the detective had passed him.

“I’m not sneaking,” Shuichi claimed far too quickly on instinct before wincing. He just tried lying to the king of lies who had already previously told him he was bad at lying. How stupid could he be? Kokichi finally looked up from the game, glancing back to give Shuichi a thoughtful look. Shuichi held his breath as Kokichi stared at him, only letting it out when he finally turned back to the game.

“If you say so,” Kokichi simply said.

\----- First Island: Main Beach -----

Shuichi found Angie mediating on the beach, a large chunk of wood and sculpting tools laid out beside her. Ryota sat near her under the shade of a palm tree, quietly sketching something on a tablet. Mahiru stood closer to the water, occasionally raising her camera and pointing it in various directions.

“Atua has told me you would like to speak about Kokichi.” Shuichi blinked and stared at Angie. The artist had her eyes closed and a perceptive smile on her face.

“Really?” Angie opened her eyes and looked over at Shuichi, shaking her head.

“You are just very easy to understand, Shuichi Saihara,” She explained. Shuichi nose scrunched and he frowned, prompting Angie to giggle. “That is a good thing. Your emotions are evident and your actions are genuine. You present yourself as a man to trust.”

“That makes you worth photographing,” Mahiru declared, focusing her camera on him and taking a quick picture before he could hide his face. Shuichi blinked again, pointedly ignoring the muffled laughter coming from Kyoko behind him, and turned back to Angie.

“So what you’ve said before about Kokichi…” She had previously made fairly reasonable points in his favor but Shuichi wanted to double check where everyone stood on the matter.

“Still holds true, yes,” Angie confirmed. Shuichi nodded as he pulled out his journal to jot down more notes, pausing as she continued. “Make no mistake, he is not innocent in all of this. There must be retribution for all actions, no matter their intent. However, any apologies made should come from a place of peace and not war.” Angie reached over and picked up one of her sculpting tools, holding it aloft so the sunlight glinted off the metal. “I suspect I am not the only one you intend to speak to today. I shall pray to Atua and ask that you succeed in your mission.”

“Thank you, Angie,” Shuichi said with a smile.

\----- First Island: Farm -----

While the Future Foundation’s regular shipments to the islands included food stores, the 77th class had still established a small farm area on the island as a more secondary source of food. It was also somewhat of a safeguard in case the shipments were delayed in any way or, for whatever reason, stopped coming altogether. Regardless, it was nice having access to fresh produce and caring for the animals gave more structure to their isolated island life.

Before Shuichi could even take a step through the gate of the farm he felt Kyoko’s hand on his shoulder, pulling him back and forcing him to stop. He looked back at her, a questioning look on his face to ask why she had stopped him. She didn’t look at him but rather held a single finger up as an indicator to wait as she looked ahead, searching the area for something.

“Your presence shall be welcome, fiends, so long as you respect the beasts residing in this realm.” Shuichi’s head spun back around to see Gundham had emerged from one of the farm’s small barns, a content looking chicken sitting obediently in his arms. Shuichi had since learned that the breeder wasn’t actually dangerous, only a bit strange and quite sweet when you properly got to know him. However that knowledge hadn’t made his presence any less intimidating to the young detective. 

“Of course, Gundham,” Kyoko promised, Shuichi silently nodding his head in agreement. The older mentor stared at the two of them for a moment, petting the chicken in his arms. Shuichi noticed one of his hamsters emerge from his scarf to sit on his shoulder, like they wished to pass judgement alongside their owner. Eventually Gundham accepted their promise with a small nod of his head, an indication that they were permitted to enter the premises. As they stepped through the gate Gonta emerged from a different barn, more chickens trailing after him as he tossed food on the ground for them. When the entomologist spotted Shuichi his face lit up with a grin.

“Shuichi is here to visit animals?” Gonta questioned cheerfully, sprinkling more seeds on the ground. “Or to help Gonta collect bugs?” Shuichi noticed Gonta had a new bug box strapped over his shoulder and even from afar could see something was already crawling around inside of it. Shuichi suppressed a shudder and returned his classmate’s smile.

“Neither actually,” Shuichi explained. Kyoko stepped away and began conversing with Gundham off to the side, carefully reaching up to pet the chicken in his arms. “Gonta, what’s your honest opinion of Kokichi? I know you said you forgave him but…” Shuichi trailed off and watched as Gonta fell silent, a thoughtful look on his face as he thought of what to say. He recalled Gonta once declaring that gentlemen never told lies. He would likely be the most genuinely honest person Shuichi would talk to that day but at the same time the detective was having trouble figuring out how Gonta managed to remain so friendly with someone like Kokichi.

“Kokichi scared of bugs and…acted ungentlemanly in game. But Kokichi seem truly sad lately...not fake sad,” Gonta finally answered, lifting his bug box up to peer inside. Now closer, Shuichi could see it was a beetle he didn’t quite recognize the species of. He finally processed the entomologist’s words and gave a slight frown, realizing Gonta must have been more observant than him if he had noticed Kokichi had been hurting. Gonta let out a sigh and rested the bug box back at his hip. “Gonta like Kokichi.” His voice was confident as he made his declaration. Gonta gave Shuichi a soft smile and pushed his glasses higher up the bridge of his nose. “Shuichi want everyone to be friends again?”

“That’s the plan,” Shuichi confirmed, letting out a small sigh of relief. “I’m just trying to figure out everyone’s thoughts on the matter.” Gonta nodded to himself, thinking things over.

“Gonta not smart boy but Gonta want to help, even little,” He offered. Shuichi smiled and pulled out his journal.

“I appreciate it. I could actually use help tracking everyone down. Do you know where any of the others might be?”

“The mortal well versed in the cultures of many can be found in the library on the second island,” Gundham interrupted them, confirming the two mentors had been listening in on the conversation. Shuichi didn’t mind if they knew what he was doing but it did make him curious about what they thought of it. “He and my Dark Queen are exercising their occult powers and comparing the vast knowledge each possesses of the darker arts.”

“Cultures of…who…?” Shuichi questioned, brows furrowed as he attempted to dissect Gundham’s words. His speech pattern was convoluted at best and often forced Shuichi to pause in order to process it. So far the only people Shuichi had noticed had no problem deciphering his words were the other members of the 77th class, likely due to how long they had been around him.

“Gonta believe Gundham mean Korekiyo,” Gonta immediately answered for him.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanna let you all know that I read each and every comment and some of the things ya'll have been saying literally makes my day whenever I see it. It's been a few chapters since I've replied to anyone's comments, I get anxious about the fact that I reply to some and not all of them so I'm sorry if you hope for a reply. I might try to start replying to some again, and if you ever want a response or just wanna chat let me know! Just know that I do read every single one and so many of them are just so thoughtfully written that it amazes me. This was my first danganronpa fic so I'm glad there are people who are enjoying it. Thank you again for all the support!
> 
> P.S. Fun fact my laptop fell on the ground on wednesday at work so that's how my life has been going, it's cool though cuz I had been meaning to get a new laptop so this was like the universe saying to do it now

\----- Second Island: Library -----

Upon entering the library Shuichi was greeted with the sight of Korekiyo and his mentor Sonia standing side by side as they organized a variety of a materials on the table before them. There was an array of crystals, candles, dried flora, and other items scatted about on the surface surrounding a few ancient-looking tomes laid open to particular pages. As Shuichi stepped closer he realized he didn’t recognize any of the languages or symbols written in the books. The assortment was highly reminiscent of things he had seen in Korekiyo’s research lab, a realization that only served to then push forth his memory of the caged child séance.

“Oh God,” Shuichi murmured, eyes flitting anxiously from one component on the table to another.

“Which one?” Korekiyo questioned as he flipped through the pages of one of the books. He looked up at Shuichi and the detective could tell he was flashing a mirthful smile beneath his mask. “Kehehe, merely a jest. How may I assist you today, Shuichi?” Shuichi shook his head to clear away the memory and took out his journal.

“I was curious what you thought of Kokichi and his actions in the game.”

“Ah, are you attempting to finally establish peace within our cohort? Such a beautiful aspiration.” Korekiyo sighed wistfully as he placed his book on the table, open to the page he had been searching for.

“Cooperation is essential within any society,” Sonia declared with a grin as she raised her fist in the air.

“Indeed,” Korekiyo agreed. He reached up and began pulling at the strap of his mask, reaffirming Shuichi’s belief that it was a nervous habit. “Kokichi may be quarrelsome at times but I have no serious issue with him.” Shuichi nodded and went to make a note in his journal when an unexpected voice interrupted him.

“Nyeh? You’re trying to help Kokichi?” Shuichi jumped at suddenly hearing Himiko’s voice and scanned the dimly lit library to find the young magician. With his eyes not fully adjusted from being outside in the sunlight he hadn’t initially noticed Himiko and Yasuhiro tucked away at another table in the darker back corner of the library. Shuichi moved closer to the pair of them to speak with her properly. Based on Himiko’s slow, tired blinks and raspy voice Shuichi assumed she had just been woken from taking a nap at the table. That guess was further supported by the fact that Yasuhiro was asleep in his seat beside her, cradling a crystal ball in his arms and snoring softly, though he didn’t wake like she had.

“I don’t want anyone in our class to be treated like a villain, not without being given a fair chance at apologizing,” Shuichi explained to her. “I know you’re not the biggest fan of him. He did tease you pretty harshly in the game.”

“He did but…” Himiko looked down at the table surface before her where Shuichi now noticed a deck of cards had been spread out. She picked up one of the cards and studied it for a moment. “Forgiveness is important. It can mean a lot to some people.” Her gaze shifted over towards where Korekiyo was standing, expression thoughtful as she skillfully made the card in her hand disappear from sight. “I can try and talk to Tenko for you.” Himiko looked back at Shuichi and gave him a tired smile. “I think she mostly hates him because she’s protective of me."

“That would be great. Thank you, Himiko.” Shuichi nodded towards her and made his way back towards Korekiyo and Sonia’s table where Kyoko had stayed behind. Sonia was pointing at one of the book pages and was reading aloud from it, though he wasn’t sure which language she was speaking. “So what’s um…do I _want_ to know what this is for?” Korekiyo picked up one of the crystals and offered it to Shuichi, almost as if the anthropologist was trying to show the detective that there was no danger. Shuichi carefully took the crystal.

“Preparations for a ceremony of blessing,” Korekiyo informed him as he grouped together different flora from the table and began to bundle them together with a ribbon.

“Oh! Well, that sounds nice,” Shuichi admitted with a smile, gently placing the crystal back on the table. “Blessing what exactly?”

“For the blessing of a baby,” Sonia told them. Shuichi froze and glanced at Kyoko, relieved to see the other ultimate detective looked just as shocked and confused as he felt. Sonia giggled as she placed a hand on her stomach, raising a finger up to her mouth in a shushing gesture. “I ask that you keep this a secret from the others for now, especially Gundham.”

Kyoko was the first to recover from her shock, letting out a small happy gasp as she reached out towards Sonia with a smile. The two women grinned at one another, hands now clasped together as they conversed rapidly in hushed voices. Shuichi continued to silently stare until Korekiyo knocked him out of his dumbfounded state with a light nudge to his arm and a small laugh at his expense.

\----- Second Island: Chandler Beach -----

Korekiyo and Himiko helpfully informed him that Tenko, and likely others, would be found sparring on the second island’s beach. On their way there he and Kyoko ran into Kirumi and Teruteru as they were exiting what looked to be a diner. Teruteru dexterously balanced platters stacked high with sandwiches and Kirumi followed dutifully after him with her own platters that held numerous drinks.

“Good afternoon Shuichi and Kyoko,” Kirumi greeted as she spotted the detectives. She held one of the platters of glasses out towards them. “Would you like some lemonade? It was just made fresh.”

“I’ll be offended if you don’t,” Teruteru warned as he moved past them. The detectives each took a glass of lemonade and expressed their appreciation as they all walked towards the beach together. Even from afar he could already hear shouting and when they finally reached the beach area he could see the reason why.

Akane and Tenko were passionately sparring on the sand, punches and kicks thrown at one another only to be met with deft parries and blocks. Off to the side beneath the shade of the palm trees Nekomaru and Ryoma were in the middle of a set of stretches, tennis rackets and balls laying on the ground nearby. Also under the shade was a set of tables where Kirumi and Teruteru set down their platters. Further along the beach Shuichi spotted Aoi setting up a tennis net. At first he believed that was everyone on the beach until he heard another noise previously covered by the cacophony of Tenko and Akane’s fight.

Tucked away along a rocky outcropping that extended out towards the ocean he finally saw Peko and Maki, locked in their own much more subdued spar. They each wielded a shinai masterfully, though Shuichi could see from afar that Peko seemed to be the more adept opponent. She managed to land a hit on Maki, prompting the two of them to pause the match. Peko pointed at Maki’s legs, giving instructions that Shuichi was too far away to hear, and demonstrated an alternate stance which Maki copied before the sparring started once again.

“Hey, how’s it going kid?” Ryoma called out, drawing Shuichi’s attention away from Maki. The detective looked back at the tennis pro who seemed to be finished with stretching and was now bouncing a tennis ball up into the air with one of the rackets.

“I’m trying to get everyone’s opinion on Kokichi.” Shuichi cut right to the chase as he set down his glass of lemonade and pulled out his journal. “I really want the distrust and fighting to stop so I’m hoping once I get everyone’s thoughts then we can all come together to talk it out.”

“A wonderful idea!” Nekomaru shouted, his voice seemingly set to only one volume level. He clapped a hand against Shuichi’s back, very nearly knocking the younger boy over completely. “There’s no way a team can succeed unless every player gets along!”

“Hell yeah, old man!” Akane shouted from the beach where she currently held a struggling Tenko in a headlock. The gymnast couldn’t have possibly heard the first part of their conversation from her distance but just hearing Nekomaru’s thunderous statement had prompted her to express agreement. Shuichi chuckled and turned back to see Ryoma frowning, staring at his racket thoughtfully.

“I don’t…think I should comment on it,” Ryoma told him. Kirumi had made her way over to them at this point, carrying a glass of lemonade that she offered to Ryoma.

“What do you mean?” Shuichi asked. Ryoma took the lemonade with a smile and gave a half-hearted shrug.

“I know I said before that I don’t have a problem with him, and I meant that, but I don’t think my opinion should carry as much weight as the others,” He explained. Shuichi frowned and tilted his head.

“Ryoma, your opinion matters-”

“No, I know,” Ryoma cut in and huffed out a slight chuckle. “What I’m trying to say is I can’t really defend the stuff he’s being accused of if I wasn’t there long enough to experience all of it.” He glanced over at Kirumi as he said this, his mouth twisting at the expression of guilt that flashed across her face. He playfully poked her side with the end of the racket until a small smile returned to her face. “I like him, really I do. I knew he was on the right side of things from the start when he tried getting everyone to share their motive videos as a group. But I shouldn’t be one of the people defending him to everyone else.”

Shuichi let out a sigh and made a note in his journal, looking back up when he heard Kirumi make a small sound like she wanted to speak. The Ultimate Housekeeper’s face held a variety of emotions. Kokichi seemed to be an interesting subject for her given his actions in the game during her short time participating ranged from mildly annoying to downright infuriating. She had chased him around, lecturing him on his behavior, until she had finally snapped at him during the trial when he called her out for trying to convince the rest of the class to sacrifice themselves for her. Despite also leaving the game early she surely had an opinion and it likely wasn’t as favorable as Ryoma’s.

“If you’d like we can help at least with mediation when the time comes,” Kirumi finally decided. She still seemed conflicted, like the answer she was giving wasn’t the one she really wanted to give but knew was the right choice. “But I agree, I don’t believe it’s our place. Focus more on the others.”

\----- Third Island: Titty Typhoon -----

By the time Shuichi and Kyoko had returned to the third island, Kyoko pestering him to get back to the hospital and eat a proper meal, the sun was starting to drop low in the sky and cast a warm orange glow on the islands. Shuichi wondered if Kaito was back at the hospital or still out somewhere on one of the islands. He clearly already knew Kaito’s stance on Kokichi but he wanted to share his notes with the astronaut and start planning next steps. However, as he attempted to organize his physical and mental records, a distant melody made him stop in his tracks.

He knew that melody.

His head whipped around as he searched for the source of the music, eyes finally landing on what looked to be a music venue with a garish and mildly lewd sign attached to the front. Kyoko followed his gaze and let out a sigh.

“Shuichi-”

“I know,” He said, already walking towards the venue. “Last one, I promise.”

“You need to eat,” Kyoko argued, following after him regardless.

“I ate a sandwich back on the beach.”

“_Half_ a sandwich.”

Shuichi didn’t bother to respond as he entered the venue, eyes scanning the area inside. Ibuki sat over on the edge of a stage, legs swinging back and forth over the side as she tuned a guitar. Hiyoko was on the floor below, swaying and dancing to the music in a way that somehow seemed purposeful and unplanned at the same time. Shuichi’s gaze finally landed on the source of the music, a grand piano set farther upstage where Kaede currently sat playing. Her back was towards him so he quietly made his way towards her as Kyoko peeled away to speak with the other mentors.

“It’s always nice to hear _Clair de Lune_,” Shuichi spoke once he was closer to her. His sudden appearance seemed to startle her as her fingers stalled on the keys, though despite the surprise not an incorrect note was played. “Especially your rendition.” Kaede looked over her shoulder at him and the detective was greeted with a smile from the pianist.

“Well I certainly prefer it to _Flohwalzer_ these days. Much easier on the neck,” She joked with a dry chuckle. Shuichi’s eyes widened as he fell silent at hearing Kaede reference her execution in such a casual manner. Kaede’s smile fell and she suddenly appeared much more timid. “Sorry. Hiyoko says morbid humor can be common during recovery but I get that it may be off-putting.”

“It’s fine!” Shuichi quickly assured her, holding up his hands. “Seriously, if it helps you then it’s no problem.” Kaede’s smile returned and she shifted over on the piano bench, patting the space she had created beside her.

“How are you doing, Shuichi?” She asked him as he took a seat on the bench.

“I’m, uh…” He barked out a laugh and dragged his hands across his face. “I’m tired. I’m tired and I’m worried.”

“Well that doesn’t sound like you,” Kaede said, sarcasm clear in her tone. She began playing the piano again, a different melody he didn’t recognize. “Is it about Kokichi?” Shuichi glanced at her and saw a teasing smile pulling at the corners of her mouth.

“Angie told me earlier that I’m easy to read and I guess she was right,” He conceded, shaking his head. The pair of them sat together for a moment, relaxing in the peaceful atmosphere filled only with piano, the hushed voices of the mentors, and the occasional plucking of a guitar. “Kokichi wants to apologize to everyone, he just doesn’t think anyone trusts him enough to believe any apology he’d make.” Kaede was silent for a while before she finally responded.

“Okay, well I don’t think _everyone_ distrusts him,” She reasoned. “Kaito doesn’t seem to have an issue.”

“No, it’s only…I think that there’s really only a few people who have a problem with him,” Shuichi shared, thinking over what he had learned through his investigations that day. “But those few have such dominant personalities that the distrust could easily seep out to the rest of the group. It won’t be enough to just have some of the class on Kokichi’s side, we need _everyone_ to trust him.” Kaede’s fingers slowly stopped moving across the keys, the music fading away as she turned in her seat to better face Shuichi.

“Do you trust him?” She asked, eyes meeting his. There was a look in her eyes he hadn’t seen since the beginning of their killing game, one of stern resolve. “Do you trust he can change?”

“I do,” Shuichi answered immediately. Once again the words had left him before his brain could even process it, like the answer was so obvious that instincts superseded any hint of hesitation. Kaede smiled warmly and took one of his hands in hers.

“Then so do I,” She declared, squeezing the hand before she placed it over the keys of the piano. He obediently allowed her to gently move his fingers around until she applied a light pressure to the top of his hand. He pressed down and produced a pleasing chord, Kaede pressing keys of her own in a short little run of notes to accompany it. The two classmates grinned and Shuichi took his hand back as Kaede began playing again. “You really care a lot about him, don’t you?”

“Everyone’s lost so much already.” Shuichi shrugged as he watched Kaede’s fingers dance across the keys. “We need to be there for each other.”

“Is that the only reason you’re doing this?” Kaede questioned, glancing at him. Shuichi’s brow furrowed at seeing a playful glint in her eyes.

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing.” Kaede smiled and shook her head, turning her attention back to the keys. “Just…focus on one thing at a time.”


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little longer but...it needed to be

“Secrecy is very unlike you, mister Ultimate Detective,” Kokichi observed, blindly following Shuichi through the halls of the hospital. Shuichi had appeared at the supreme leader’s door after dinner and requested he follow him but not ask any questions. Kokichi had been surprisingly compliant despite his normal desire for information and simply gave Shuichi an impish smile before asking the detective to lead the way.

“Thought I’d change it up a bit,” Shuichi joked, strategically turning his head to hopefully hide the blush creeping up his neck and cheeks. The moment Kokichi had closed his door he had immediately grabbed Shuichi’s hand and was now swinging their joined hands together between them. Shuichi had no idea how the other boy was so nonchalant about the contact as it had never been the norm between them when they were in the game. It was almost like Shuichi taking his hand days prior when they were up on the roof had indicated to him that the action was welcome. The fact that Shuichi had not yet pulled his hand back now implied it sort of _was_ welcome.

They walked through the halls passing the closed doors of everyone’s rooms which, if the strategy was so far succeeding, should all be empty by now. Shuichi and Kaito had come up with a plan. It was simple in its foundation but a little more complicated in its execution. They simply wanted to call a meeting, a proper one without the mentors, that would bring everyone together so they could finally _talk_. The problem was that if everyone knew what the meeting was for and who would be there then certain individuals would likely refuse to attend. That was the complicated part, the coordinated escorting of different people to the rooftop where the meeting would take place.

K1-B0 had taken care of getting Miu to join, Himiko had easily persuaded Tenko to follow her, Kaito had miraculously convinced Maki to come despite their current disputes, and everyone else had been willing attendees who were aware of the situation. Shuichi’s job was to fetch Kokichi and bring him up last so they’d at least have everyone together before the yelling could start.

“Trip up to the rooftop, huh?” Kokichi noted as they began ascending a familiar stairwell. “Not worried I’ll be triggered being on the roof again?” Shuichi froze and whipped his head back to stare at Kokichi with wide eyes. He hadn’t even considered the possibility that the area might induce a negative association. Kokichi’s teasing grin fell at seeing Shuichi’s panicked expression. “I…I won’t. I’ll be fine, Shuichi. Nagito and Fuyuhiko came up here with me the next day to make sure I was okay.” Kokichi squeezed Shuichi’s hand comfortingly as an added measure of assurance.

“Oh, good.” Shuichi let out a breath and nodded to himself as he turned and continued making his way up the stairs.

“That doesn’t mean I’m fine with not knowing why we’re coming up here,” Kokichi clarified as the two of them open the door to the roof. “Like, I trust you and everything but-”

“Oh _fuck no_!” The pair of them froze and looked to see the roof filled with the other members of the pilot class, some standing around the area while others sat on the cement benches lining the garden plot. Among them stood Miu who was pointing an accusatory finger in the direction of Shuichi and Kokichi. “You didn’t tell me the gremlin would be here, I’m out.”

“Miu, please…” K1-B0, already beside her, placed a hand on her shoulder to keep the girl from leaving but the inventor only shook it off. Shuichi slowly closed the door behind him to create at least one additional obstacle to leaving the roof.

“Nope,” Miu said, crossing her arms in front of her. “I don’t know what kind of kumbaya bullshit you’re trying to pull but I don’t need to be a part of it.” Miu may have been the only one verbally arguing but a quick look around told Shuichi that she wasn’t the only one who wanted to leave. Tenko had a clear expression of displeasure on her face as she attempted to pull Himiko with her so the two could leave. Maki looked ready to scale the building if that was her only escape option, the only thing keeping her in place being Kaito as he tightly gripped her hands in his and whispered to her.

The plan was falling apart, as was expected, but they didn’t really have solutions in place. They knew there would be fighting and people trying to leave but as far as getting everyone to stay, it seemed like it would be a case by case basis. There had been no point in planning negotiations ahead of time with how variable their class tended to be so now Shuichi was panicking, his anxiety only spiking further when he felt Kokichi’s hand leave his. He glanced back and saw the smaller boy was looking off to the side, arms now wrapped tightly around his body. His expression was resigned, like he was hurt but unsurprised by the arguments going on around him. He wasn’t even trying to rise to Miu’s level, striking back like he normally would with sly grins and cruel insults.

“Please just hear us out.” Many on the roof were shocked to hear Kaede of all people be the one to call confidently for order. The pianist stood from her spot on one of the benches and made her way to stand in front of Miu. “Miu, I swear I will get on my knees and beg like I did in the game just…please listen.” Shuichi wasn’t sure if it was the reference to the last time Kaede had begged Miu for something or the fact that this was the most passion the girl had shown since exiting the game, but Miu actually hesitated and stopped pulling away from K1-B0 to hear things out. Kaede took a breath and spoke louder to address the entire class_._ “So not all of us have been getting along since the game ended. I know I wasn’t in there all that long and I didn’t experience all of what most of you experienced but something I do understand is the feeling of being an outsider.” Kaede glanced back at Kokichi to see the boy was now watching her carefully, expression wary and neutral. “We’re only human. Scratch that, we’re only _kids_. We were scared and we messed up. But now we’ve been given such an amazing second chance to be together so we shouldn’t be fighting or distancing anyone.” Miu scoffed and moved to leave the roof again.

“We aren’t fighting-”

“_BULL. SHIT._” Shuichi flinched at the sudden harsh voice coming from beside him. He looked over and saw Kokichi glaring at Miu, an unexpected fire in his eyes. He tore away from Shuichi’s side and took a seat on one of the concrete benches next to where Rantaro already sat. “Sit the fuck down, all of you.”

“I’m not-”

“_Sit down!_” He snapped and Shuichi swore Miu would have dropped right to the ground if K1-B0 hadn’t guided her to a proper seat. Her eyes were wide as she stared at Kokichi, though the boy merely glared ahead at the garden plot in front of him. “I don’t want to be here either but all this bullshit is starting to upset Shuichi and _I’m not okay with that_ so we’re gonna talk about it.” Shuichi paused for a moment at hearing Kokichi’s reasoning before moving to take a seat on the other side of him. Everyone else in the class gradually found seats as well and settled in, save for Maki who still looked ready to leave.

“There’s nothing to talk about,” The bodyguard said, extricating her hands from Kaito’s grip. “Unless it’s an apology from you in which case I’m all ears.” Kokichi was silent for a moment, gaze now locked with Maki’s. Though rather than a taunting sneer or an angry glare, he just seemed upset.

“Do you even realize how all this has been affecting Kaito?” Kokichi questioned, voice surprisingly soft. What Kokichi chose to say in response shocked even Shuichi, no one expecting him to address the feelings of another person as a reason to listen. Kaito may have been the one openly defending Kokichi but it was clear the protective streak had grown on both sides of their relationship.

Maki’s expression had turned murderous at hearing his words. “Don’t you _dare_-”

“Admit it, you just want a scapegoat,” Kokichi cut her off and now seemed to be addressing the whole group. “We’re out of the game but you still need there to be a villain.”

“Why would we want that, huh?” Tenko challenged, hands held in the air like she’d need to defend Himiko from a possible attack.

“Because you don’t wanna face the shit you pulled in there. We all had our minds fucked with to some degree. Some more than others.” Kokichi looked at Korekiyo and Angie as he said this, the two of them pressed together on one of the benches “And it’s fine, some things can be blamed on that. But some of you have realized that not all of your actions or your thoughts or your words can be blamed on the program and you’re looking for something else to blame. And who better than the kid who seems the least apologetic?” He looked at Miu now, expression sad but stern. “You planned to kill me, Miu.”

“But I didn’t-”

“I beat you to it, sure, but the plan was still there,” Kokichi insisted. Shuichi found himself caught on his choice in wording, the use of first person implying he considered the kill his instead of Gonta’s. He wondered if Kokichi even realized how he had said it. “Who did the world need more, the boy who lied or the girl who could invent?” Kokichi raised his thumb to his mouth and began to chew on the nail, staring again at the garden plot to avoid anyone’s gaze. “It’s fair, honestly. I get it, you were afraid of being betrayed or left behind. Welcome to the club, I feel that way every fucking day.” The group fell silent, quiet enough to hear the waves crashing against the distant beaches. No one quite knew what to say, how to respond to Kokichi sharing his seemingly true and honest emotions for once.

“You think that we’ll betray you?” Kirumi quietly asked. Kokichi looked up, eyes beginning to widen as if the possibility of follow-up questions had just suddenly occurred to him.

“Is that why you lie so often?” Himiko questioned. “And act mean all the time?” Kokichi continued to remain silent, looking progressively more uncomfortable as he felt everyone’s eyes on him now with new information and fresh perspectives on his motivations. Shuichi knew how much Kokichi disliked talking about himself openly and leaned into the boy’s side, giving what he hoped was an encouraging smile when Kokichi looked up at him. Kokichi grimaced and took a deep breath, leaning slightly back into Shuichi.

“It’s more comfortable for me,” He explained, voice quiet and strained. “I feel like…it helps keep me alive.”

“Letting people know your true intentions leaves you vulnerable,” Kaito murmured, eyes cast upwards to look at the stars. The words didn’t sound like his own, more like he was repeating something Kokichi had shared with him previously.

“It may be behavior that’s comfortable for you but that doesn’t mean you can allow it to hurt those around you,” Rantaro gently chided, reminding Shuichi how well he fit into the role of a responsible older brother.

“As beautiful as humanity can be, we are inherently flawed beings,” Korekiyo remarked, plucking at the strap of his mask. “Telling a lie can be just as instinctual as falling in love…and the results can be just as painful.”

“But Kokichi no need to lie to friends,” Gonta argued, spreading his arms out to gesture at the classmates around him. “Gonta and friends trustworthy.” Kokichi’s mouth twisted into a bitter smile.

“You say that and I _want_ to believe it but I just fucking _can’t_.” The group fell silent once again, caught off guard at how Kokichi’s voice cracked as he spoke like he was on the verge of tears.

“Kokichi, I’d like it if we could become people you trust. But it’ll be a two-way street.” It was Kaede speaking, once again taking more initiative than they had ever seen from her since the game. “You need to make the effort to change your instincts but we need to prove that we can be trusted. I know it won’t happen all at once but…” She trailed off, glancing at the people around her for support as Kokichi continued to look even more uneasy with the current situation.

“Why don’t we start by all telling the truth?” Shuichi prompted. Kokichi whipped his head to look up at him, betrayal clear in his eyes at hearing Shuichi be the one to make such a suggestion.

“I already told you-”

“Just start by addressing the lies you’ve already told,” Shuichi amended, understanding how difficult it would be for Kokichi to suddenly break his habit and stop telling lies altogether. “Ones you’re comfortable exposing now that we’re out of the game.” Kokichi still looked hesitant so Shuichi put a hand to his chest and turned to address the rest of the class. “I’ll even start.”

“Wait-”

“Many of you trusted me in the trials and believed I only spoke the truth.” Shuichi began, ignoring Kokichi’s distressed expression. “A few of you have said you even relied solely on my judgment to get through it. However, I lied in some of the class trials just to help whatever case I was trying to make. You all thought I was the honest one, but in reality…” He trailed off, looking around at the different reactions from his peers. Some seemed understanding of the confession while others appeared quite distraught as they realized how common lies had been for everyone in their killing game, no matter how virtuous they had seemed. Shuichi felt someone grab his hand and hold it with a tight grip. He realized it was Kokichi and looked back at him to see what was wrong only to find the supreme leader looking not at him, but at Maki. The girl was staring back at him, eyes challenging as if she dared him to speak.

“I hated you in the game,” Kokichi stated.

“Oh cool, good start with the truth telling,” Ryoma muttered sarcastically, smilingly playfully when Kirumi nudged him with her elbow.

“I thought we were sharing lies, not obvious truths,” Maki criticized, unimpressed by the confession. Kokichi shook his head.

“I distrusted just about everyone when we were in that program, but I didn’t necessarily hate them. But you…I didn’t just distrust you because of your talent, I absolutely _hated_ you.” There was venom laced in Kokichi’s words. Maki had fallen silent and still, patiently attentive now. “D.I.C.E. had a _strict_ no killing policy.” Kokichi’s voice broke slightly at the mention of his former organization and Shuichi felt the grip on his hand tighten even more. “And the killings in the game…I get it, people were scared or had their motivations twisted and the killers were executed anyway but you...” He shook his head as a bitter laugh escaped his lips. “I couldn’t get past it. The Ultimate Assassin was right in front of me. You had killed people before and I just couldn’t ignore the fact that you weren’t being _punished_ for it.”

“That’s why you were so adamant to expose her talent after the second trial.” Angie pieced together. “You believed she was a genuine threat to the rest of us.”

“And in the end, she didn’t kill a single one of you. She’s not even a fucking assassin.” His eyes widened, a manic grin beginning to pull at the edges of his mouth. “When you announced that you were actually the Ultimate Bodyguard, I felt like I was going to throw up. All that shit I did to you was over _nothing_. I wanted someone dead for something that wasn’t even _true_.” And then the grin fell, his expression slowly growing more neutral until it settled into the emotionless face that Shuichi had come to recognize as the mask he wore when sharing the honest truth. “I’m so sorry, Maki.”

The entire class fell absolutely silent, gazes split between Kokichi and Maki to see who would react first. Maki’s expression had become just as blank as Kokichi’s, neither betraying any emotions they may have been feeling. Shuichi at least was privy to some of Kokichi’s emotions as he felt the hand gripping his own trembling ever so slightly.

“Don’t say that.” All eyes were now on Maki as the girl finally responded, eyes widening as she stared at Kokichi. Shuichi watched Kokichi’s mask crumble, disappointment seeping through the cracks in his expression.

“Look, I get that you still don’t believe the things I say but-”

“No, don’t say it because I don’t deserve it!” Maki façade fractured like a dam as her emotions all rushed in at once and took over. She reached up to grip her hair, body curling inwards like she had been punched in the gut. She stared ahead at the garden, her eyes filled with confusion and distress. “What the hell have I been _doing_? How many times did I try to strangle you in that game? I shot you with poison-tipped arrows, not just to kill you, but to _torture_ you. I tried to sabotage that trial just because I thought you were the one in the Exisal and I so desperately wanted you dead, even if it killed the rest of us too if I was wrong.” Kaito reached over during her ramblings to grip both her arms, concern growing as he realized she had begun to shake. “I’ve just convinced myself I’ve been right in all of this. Kokichi, I’m so sor-”

“_Stop_.” Maki’s eyes snapped up to see Kokichi staring at her, appearing almost fearful at the reaction he had somehow drawn out of her. “No, we shouldn’t…neither of us…” He shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, collecting his thoughts in an attempt to process what he had just heard. “All this is gonna become is an argument over who needs to say sorry more and I’m done with the arguing. If you won’t let me say sorry then neither can you.” He opened his eyes and gave Maki a shaky grin. “I just made that rule and you can’t break it, so says the Ultimate Supreme Leader.” Maki looked caught off guard for a moment before she recovered, shaking her head and flashing a tired smile back at Kokichi.

“Fair,” She conceded, nodding her head. Her body relaxed from its tense and trembling state as she reached up to pat Kaito’s arm with her hand to let him know she was okay. Shuichi watched the two of them press closer together on the bench, already mending together the distance that had grown between them since exiting the program.

“You’re not boring, I’ll give you that.” Kokichi murmured, too quiet for anyone but Shuichi and possibly Rantaro to hear. Shuichi looked down at the boy and saw he was also watching Kaito and Maki, a small but fond smile on his face. Kokichi glanced up and, upon noticing Shuichi looking at him, suddenly dropped the smile and let out a large theatrical yawn, voice now loud enough for the whole class to hear. “Telling the truth is fucking exhausting.” Kokichi leaned his full weight into Shuichi’s side, nearly knocking the taller boy off the bench. Shuichi heard muffled laughter coming from Rantaro and sent the youngest lucky student an unconvincing glare, made all the less threatening by the blush developing on Shuichi’s cheeks_._

“I think we made good progress,” Rantaro observed as he stood from the bench and began to stretch his legs. “We should all get some sleep and talk more tomorrow.” Mumbled agreement followed his suggestion as the rest of the class said their good nights and began to make their way back into the hospital.

Some lingered for a bit, like Kaito who swooped in to drag Kokichi into a crushing hug. Maki had followed him over and while she didn’t move to hug Kokichi, she did smile warmly at him. Shuichi looked around and saw Himiko and Korekiyo speaking with one another as they prepared to leave, Tenko and Angie standing nearby but off to the side as they watched the pair with pleased smiles. As the four of them passed Tenko even stopped to give a respectful bow towards Kokichi, which the boy awkwardly attempted to mimic in return. Shuichi felt Kokichi take his hand again and turned to ask if he was ready to leave before he was interrupted.

“Would you mind if we talked?” Miu had approached them, Gonta and K1-B0 standing off to the side likely as moral support. She wrung her hands together as she nervously looked at Kokichi who stared back at the inventor with a guarded look on his face. “Like, just the two of us? It doesn’t need to be right now, I just…” At first Shuichi thought Kokichi would deny the invitation or at least request that the conversation happen later or with other people around. He was slowly getting better and had made great progress with Maki but the relationship and history he had with Miu was a whole other level of damaged.

“Sure,” Kokichi finally murmured, the girl smiling with relief at his answer. He gave Shuichi’s hand a squeeze before letting go to walk with Miu over to one of the vacated benches. “That would be nice.”


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, the response to last chapter was just…amazing. I’m so happy ya’ll liked it. I recognize there had been a bit of a build up to that confrontation/meeting and I was super stressed that the payoff wouldn’t be satisfying enough but so far it seems that people are pleased and that means so much to me so thank you. 
> 
> Just a heads up, I never intended romance to be a central aspect of the plot but I’ve come to like the idea of including the discovery of new feelings and new relationships in a story about recovery. Love should be an option for everyone, regardless of where they are on their path. However, I’d appreciate it if you guys let me know what you think, like if I should continue or reel it back a bit or whatever.

The morning after their rooftop meeting Shuichi expected to wake up exhausted and drained, like he was suffering the effects of some sort of emotional hangover. Instead he woke up feeling lighter and with more energy than he had felt since exiting the program. His demeanor only improved when he later saw Kokichi in the cafeteria for breakfast, happily sandwiched between Kaito and Tenko with Maki and Himiko sitting across from them. He hadn’t seen Kokichi since he walked off to speak privately with Miu the previous night but if Shuichi had to guess based on his smiling face, he’d say the talk had clearly gone well.

Shuichi moved to sit with them but was dragged away to a different table by very excited Korekiyo who claimed he needed a _“detective’s knowledge_” to help him win an argument against Kirumi about body decomposition. Shuichi didn’t want to know why either of them were discussing body decomposition but even their morbid theoretical didn’t chip away at his cheery attitude.

Kyoko didn’t comment on the smile he had plastered on his face when he greeted her after breakfast, though he did notice her own smile grow a bit wider at seeing her mentee in high spirits. The two of them gathered a couple snacks and some tea and set off for the library to look for new reading material. They weren’t expecting to find Rantaro already at the library seated at one of the tables with Makoto and surprisingly Byakuya sitting across from him. Walking closer they found Byakuya had a notebook open in front of him and Makoto was dropping a handful of dice into Rantaro’s outstretched hands.

“What are you doing?” Kyoko questioned, clearly just as confused as Shuichi was.

“Research,” Byakuya said simply, not even looking over to acknowledge the detectives. Makoto gave a wide grin and waved. “Go again.”

“Seventeen,” Rantaro said and dropped the dice on the table. The group leaned in to get a better look at the dice and count the dots. Byakuya made an indecipherable noise and marked something in his notes.

“Forty-two tries and he’s still at one hundred percent for correct _lucky guesses_,” The heir noted, his tone a mixture of awe and frustration.

“I wonder how this compares to Nagito’s talent,” Makoto mused, visibly more excited about the results out of the two of them. He gathered the dice and dropped them in Rantaro’s hands again. “My luck definitely couldn’t do this.”

“Let’s be honest, your Ultimate Hope status has always been the more relevant talent.” Byakuya pushed his glasses higher up the bridge of his nose as his eyes scanned the notes he had made. “His luck definitely seems to be more subtle, not easily noticeable unless you’re outright looking for it. It’s already incredible but if he could learn how to somehow _manipulate_ it…”

“It makes sense when I think back,” Rantaro considered, tumbling the dice around in his hands so the acrylic clicked together. “I was fortunate enough to be raised by a wealthy family and traveling was always super easy for me.” He looked over at Shuichi and gave a light shrug, his expression becoming more nostalgic. “Who knows, maybe if I can learn how to control it, I’ll have better luck tracking down my sisters.”

Shuichi already knew about Rantaro’s sisters, how they had all somehow gone missing and that he had been traveling the world primarily to search for them. The Future Foundation hadn’t been any more successful in finding them while tracking down next of kin for the pilot class. Rantaro’s family had already been missing before the tragedy and their abduction so if anything, he had a greater chance of finding them alive. Once again it seemed as though his luck had manifested in the strangest indirect way.

He noticed a shift in Byakuya as Rantaro mentioned looking for his family, a subtle grimace that broke his otherwise cool and aloof demeanor. Makoto’s reaction of a sympathetic smile had been expected given he had his own younger sister who he cared for dearly, but Byakuya’s minute reaction was really only telling with additional insight. Something Shuichi had learned from interacting with the mentors was that the pilot class was not alone in experiencing the loss of family and loved ones. Byakuya had to fight through their final trial with the knowledge that when he returned to the outside world his family and legacy would already be destroyed. Kyoko had seen the bones of her own father in a giftwrapped box. Many of the members of the 77th class had awoken from their program only to realize they had had been personally responsible for the deaths of their own loved ones.

Shuichi suddenly made the decision that he’d finally look at that album of family photos that the Future Foundation had delivered. He knew it would hurt to see those pictures, that was why he had been avoiding it, but he owed it to his loved ones to look and accept what had happened. He owed it to them to honor their memory.

He didn’t even realize he had started crying until Kyoko pushed on his shoulder to turn his face away from the others and silently handed him a handkerchief.

* * *

As it grew closer to midday the mentors recommended that Rantaro and Shuichi return to the hospital for a proper lunch. Passing through the islands they encountered other classmates and their mentors, some joining their group to return for lunch while others promised they’d catch up in a little while. By the time they had reached the hospital Rantaro and Shuichi had been joined by Miu, K1-B0 and Kaede. As their group made its way into the cafeteria Shuichi reached out towards Kaede and pulled the pianist back.

“Hey, Kaede.” Shuichi held her arm to keep her from walking into the cafeteria with the others which left just the two of them alone in the lobby. Kaede allowed him to hold her back but still gave him a questioning look, wondering what his reason for doing so was. “I just wanted to say thank you.” Kaede tilted her head, even more confused as to what he meant. “For helping with the meeting last night. For everything you said.” Kaede’s eyes widened slightly in understanding and she gave the detective a smile.

“You’re welcome, Shuichi,” She told him, still appearing a bit baffled by the expression of gratitude.

“You know, it’s funny,” Shuichi observed, giving a small chuckle. “Ryoma and Kirumi had said they wanted to stay impartial because they hadn’t been in the game that long. Rantaro’s been pretty neutral about things too. I figured you were going to take the same stance. It’s not like Kokichi made a glowing first impression in the short time you knew him.” Kaede laughed and shrugged.

“Like I said, you trust him so I trust him too,” She explained. Shuichi frowned slightly at hearing that line of reasoning again.

“But that’s…do you really have that much faith in my judgment of him?” He questioned. “You didn’t know me all that long either. I could’ve changed between the beginning and end of the game.” Kaede regarded him thoughtfully for a moment.

“You did change, I can tell,” She finally said, voice soft. Her smile deepened at seeing Shuichi’s look of concern. “But it’s a good change. I noticed it in that first large group meeting. You’re more assertive, more confident in your opinions. Last I saw you could barely look other people in the eyes, and now I haven’t seen you wear a hat even once.”

“It’s sitting in my room,” Shuichi recalled, thinking of the cap sitting next to the unopened album of photos in the corner of his hospital room. “I should probably start wearing it outside before I get sunburned though.”

“At first I thought that maybe the shyness and uncertainty were just false traits you were given for the game,” Kaede mused. “But then I noticed that the others who made it farther like Kaito and Miu didn’t seem surprised to see you so outspoken.” She shook her head, smile growing bittersweet. “I realized you must have grown in the game, while I wasn’t around to see it.” The pianist sounded so disheartened and Shuichi was once again reminded of just how much leaving the program early had affected Kaede.

“Believe me, I have a lot more growing to do,” Shuichi quickly assured her, smiling brightly in an attempt to cheer her up. “And this time around you’ll have a front row seat to see it.”

“That was actually another reason why I wanted to help Kokichi,” Kaede shared. “He was one of the people who got to watch you grow. I’m guessing he even prompted some of that growth.” Her nose scrunched up as she chuckled. “For better or for worse.” Shuichi laughed with her and moved to join their classmates in the cafeteria before he stopped again.

“What did you mean when you asked about the reasons why I was helping him?” Shuichi asked. Despite Kaede telling him not to worry about it, her words had been sitting in the back of his mind since she said it. “It sounded like you knew something I didn’t.” Kaede sighed, the corners of her mouth turning down slightly in a frown.

“I probably shouldn’t have mentioned anything,” She murmured. Kaede was silent for a moment, seemingly deliberating the pros and cons of explaining herself to Shuichi. “I thought you were already aware, but…it’s just that Kaito and I have been talking a lot because of the killer therapy group. Apparently, he’s learned some interesting things from Kokichi during their therapy sessions.”

* * *

“Kokichi _likes_ me?!” Shuichi was now seated at one of the cafeteria tables, head cradled in his hands. Miu, K1-B0, Kaede, and Rantaro sat around him, expressions ranging from concerned to amused at Shuichi’s panic. Despite sitting at a separate table Korekiyo, Himiko, Ryoma, and Kirumi had also involved themselves in the current conversation. The rest of the pilot class had yet to return from being out on the islands.

“How were you not aware of this?” Ryoma questioned, one of the individuals with clear amusement etched into his face.

“Haven’t you been holding hands lately?” Rantaro asked, twisting his neck in an attempt to see Shuichi’s face as the detective curled more and more into himself.

“He’s always been pretty oblivious when it comes to stuff involving emotions,” Miu argued as she poked her frozen classmate to elicit some sort of reaction from him. 

“Yeah, he’s worse than Keebo,” Himiko said with a snort.

“Hey!” K1-B0 responded, offended by the remark. Himiko rolled her eyes and tossed one of her fries at the robot.

“I’m_ not_ being robophobic,” The magician quickly argued. “You’re just oblivious too.”

“Hey, is Shuichi still breathing?” Kirumi asked, beginning to rise from her chair to check on the detective. The other classmates grew quiet and stared at Shuichi who still hadn’t moved from the position he had taken when he first dropped into the chair. Kaede groaned and held her own head in her hands.

“I shouldn’t have said anything.” 

“What do I do?” Shuichi murmured, causing the rest of the class to fall silent again at hearing him finally speak. Everyone glanced around at each other, waiting to see who had the words of wisdom necessary to draw Shuichi out of his panicked thoughts.

“Well…do you like him back?” Korekiyo tried. Shuichi slowly dropped his arms and raised his head, blinking as he stared off into the distance like he was waking from a dream.

“I…I’ve never thought about it.”

“_Oblivious_,” Korekiyo murmured, nodding at Miu to agree with her previous assessment. Shuichi frowned and shook his head.

“He’s never…said anything.”

“Well he only just recently started opening up more to others,” Ryoma pointed out. “Love confessions are a whole other ball game.”

“_L-love_?” Shuichi’s voice cracked and Kirumi quickly slapped a hand over Ryoma’s mouth to stifle the tennis pro’s laughter.

“Shuichi, calm down,” Kaede ordered. She grabbed the Shuichi’s face and turned his head to focus his attention back on her. “Back to what Korekiyo asked you. Do you think you might like him back?”

“I…” Shuichi’s swallowed past the lump in his throat and squeezed his eyes shut. “W-where is he right now?”

“He hung out with me and Miu this morning,” K1-B0 shared.

“He was sketching blueprints of new things for me to build,” Miu explained. “I think he was going to go swimming with Gonta, Angie, and Tenko before lunch. I would’ve joined but I was covered in grease and wanted a proper shower.”

“Why do you want to know where he is?” Himiko asked before her eyes widened and she let out a gasp. “Are you gonna go confess to him _now_?”

“Pretty ballsy for a virgin,” Miu muttered.

“No, I’m not gonna…_no_.” Shuichi straightened in his seat and held his arms out in front of him, reeling from the questions and comments flying around him. “I need to…talk to some people and figure some things out first. I’m just worried if I saw Kokichi now I’d freak out and do something stupid.”

“So, it’d be a bad thing if he was walking into the cafeteria right now,” Rantaro assumed. Shuichi scrubbed his hands over his face and looked at the lucky student.

“Yes,” Shuichi confirmed. He froze as he realized Rantaro wasn’t looking at him but rather towards the entrance of the cafeteria. “…_wait_-”

“Shuuuuuumai!” Shuichi only heard his nickname called as a warning before a warm body slammed into his. Arms wrapped around him from behind and he smelled the salt of drying ocean water. A glance to the side told him what he already knew, that Kokichi was hanging over his shoulder and smiling at Shuichi with a wide grin. “Whatcha doing?”

“J-just talking,” Shuichi stammered out. He resisted the urge to glare at the classmates around him sending knowing looks at the blush creeping up his face. Just beyond Kokichi he could see Gonta, Tenko and Angie had entered the cafeteria along with him. Kaito and Maki followed not far behind, Kaito’s arm wrapped affectionately around Maki’s shoulders.

“Oooooh, are you talking about me?” Kokichi asked, excitement in his voice. He narrowed his eyes and regarded Shuichi, studying his expression and reactions. “I hope you are.”

“Why would you want people to be talking about you?” Maki questioned, taking a seat with Kaito at another table formed by the other late arriving students. Kokichi pulled back slightly, still keeping his hands on Shuichi’s shoulders, and tilted his head to the side.

“Well I wouldn’t want just _anyone_ doing it, but I always want to be on my beloved detective’s mind.” Kokichi raised one hand to pat Shuichi’s head as the taller boy’s blush grew deeper.

“How was your swim?” Miu asked, taking pity on the flustered detective by drawing Kokichi’s attention towards something else.

“Great! You need to come along next time,” Kokichi told her. “The water’s super nice and we played chicken fight in the water.”

“Gonta and Kokichi winners of game!” Gonta announced as he triumphantly held his fists in the air.

“Poor Tenko’s still depressed that she lost to a couple of boys, aren’t you Tenko?” Kokichi teased, looking over at the Neo-Aikido master who was sitting slumped over at Maki’s table. Her head was resting face down on the table though she raised it to direct a half-hearted glare at Kokichi.

“You only won because Angie was on my shoulders and she’s too sweet to be violent,” Tenko reasoned as Angie rubbed her back consolingly from her seat beside her.

“Sounds like you had fun,” Shuichi observed, finally finding his voice. He needed to stop acting strange or else Kokichi would definitely figure out something was wrong. He turned his head to speak to the supreme leader but paused when he noticed the boy was staring at the entrance to the cafeteria, his violet eyes widening and face growing pale. “Kokichi?” Shuichi followed his line of sight until his eyes landed on two individuals entering the room. One he recognized as the Ultimate Imposter as he had met the mentor while they were doing rounds in the hospital with Ibuki one night. However, they weren’t who the entire pilot class was now staring at. Standing slightly behind them was a bespectacled young woman with familiar blue hair and a look of pure fear on her face. “Tsumugi…”


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know what ya'll thought was gonna happen but...

The students stared at Tsumugi as she inched forward little by little to stand beside her mentor rather than behind them. She had her head bowed, staring down at the ground as she wrung her hands together. Imposter sighed and placed a hand on her back.

“It’s alright,” They said, giving her a slight push forward towards the rest of the class. “Go on. I’ll be right here.”

It may have seemed cruel to an outsider, like Tsumugi was being thrown to the wolves by her mentor, but it was standard practice for how the mentors were meant to treat their mentees. It had been made clear from the beginning that the pilot class shouldn’t expect coddling. The mentors would have limited involvement and interference when it came to their mentees interacting with one another. Of course, they’d step in if anyone reacted in a hostile or physical way but until it reached that point, they were meant to be only silent observers. Tsumugi was expected to introduce herself, to initiate her own conversation, so that she wouldn’t grow dependent on her mentor doing it for her.

Tsumugi glanced up at her mentor before she took a hesitant step forward, gaze slowly shifting over to look at her classmates. The shadows beneath her eyes stood out against her pale skin, highlighting sleepless nights and restless days. She drew in a breath and opened her mouth before closing it again as she attempted to find her voice. Tsumugi squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her hands together in front of her, drawing in one final deep breath before she finally opened her eyes and spoke.

“I…” Her voice cracked and she swallowed before trying again. “I’m so…” She trailed off as her face caved into a twisted, mournful expression. Tears began pouring from her eyes while her mouth opened and closed as she tried and failed to produce any words. Instead she let out a heart wrenching wail and shakily clamped her hands over her mouth, sobs wracking her body. The rest of the pilot class stared at her with wide eyes, watching silently as her knees began to buckle forcing her mentor to grab her arms to keep her up. They stood there and they watched, unmoving.

They thought they had moved past it.

They thought they had healed, that they had made progress in being able to forgive and that when Tsumugi returned to them they could welcome her with open arms. But instead they were all frozen, some cautionary instinct in their brains preventing them from moving forward. Some innate warning bell that told them they couldn’t possibly comfort the mastermind, however unwilling she had been, behind their torment.

And then someone moved forward.

“It’s okay,” Kokichi said, voice wavering slightly as he took a step forward. He moved no closer, like the one step he took was all he could force himself to do, but it was movement nonetheless. “It’s going to be okay.”

Tsumugi had fallen silent, staring at Kokichi with wide eyes as tears continued to stream down her cheeks. Shuichi glanced over at Kokichi and saw the supreme leader looked stunned, as if even he hadn’t expected the words that had tumbled from his mouth. Kokichi didn’t comfort, he didn’t offer sympathy to people. He barely held sympathy for himself. If Shuichi had to guess, the thing that drove him to step forward when no one else did was because of how much Tsumugi’s pain likely reminded him of his own.

Kokichi’s voice acted like a starting pistol signaling the beginning of a race. One by one the rest of the class shook away their cloudy thoughts, shrugged off the tense stiffness in their bones telling them to move no closer. One by one they made their way towards Tsumugi who had now sunk to her knees on the floor as her mentor backed away to allow her classmates to move forward. The ones to move first were those who left the program earlier, the ones with less spite in their hearts for the mastermind. The last ones to move were the members of the survivor group who stood together and stared from a distance as the rest of the class enveloped Tsumugi in hugs and soft words.

“Are _we_ okay?” K1-B0 asked, quiet enough that only Himiko, Shuichi, and Maki could hear him. It took Shuichi a moment to catch on to the robot’s deliberate use of _we_ rather than _I_ or _you_.

Were the survivors okay?

They had always been the more well-adjusted of the group, the ones who didn’t take a life or have their life taken in the game. But now they were facing Tsumugi. No one else had seen the girl in that fateful final trial. No one else had firsthand experience of her mocking words and twisted reveals and dizzying cosplay changes.

But she was different. Not in the way Maki had tried to argue so long ago when she refused to see anyone but Kokichi as the villain. She wasn’t different in such a way that she should be seen as unquestionably innocent just because of the level of trauma she had undergone or that she should be exonerated and excused without reconciliation.

She was different from how she was in the game. They were all different. They all had made mistakes, made choices, made conflict, and made solutions. They were all unique in their journey coming out of the program, unique in their struggles and strife. This was not a competition of who had suffered more or whether someone’s pain should be perceived as less relative to another’s own misery or who deserved to feel what they felt. This was not a game of accusations and reparations. This was not about Mastermind Tsumugi, the architect of their despair and betrayer of their trust. This was about their classmate Tsumugi and her recovery and journey with the rest of them.

This was about moving forward.

“I think we’re okay,” Shuichi decided, though he still looked to the others for agreement. Their tired smiles were enough of a confirmation for him to let out a breath and nod as he turned his attention back to the group of classmates that had amassed around Tsumugi who had begun to cry again.

“Come on, someone get this girl a chair,” Kaito ordered as he hooked his arms under Tsumugi’s to pull the girl to her feet. With the help of Gonta the two of them managed to move the weak-legged Tsumugi to a chair as the rest of the class restructured the cafeteria tables to create one long table where everyone could sit.

“Do you want some tea?” Korekiyo asked, already making his way over to the supplies set up on one side of the cafeteria. “I’ll get some tea.”

“I’ll fetch you some food as well,” Kirumi told her, marching over to the spread of food that had been laid out for lunch. The rest of them continued to fuss around Tsumugi and take their seats at the long table. Shuichi handed her a handkerchief to wipe her tears, a clean one Kyoko had recently given him due to his own propensity for shedding tears during his recovery.

“Would…would you um…” K1-B0 began speaking and everyone else at the table fell silent to allow him to be heard. “We all had a meeting, a while ago. We got to reintroduce ourselves and share our talents. You didn’t get to go so…would you like to share yours now?”

Tsumugi blinked and dabbed a bit more at the tear tracks on her face. She smiled in thanks at Kirumi and Korekiyo as the two of them set food and tea down in front of her before taking a deep breath and nodding.

“I-I’m Tsumugi Shirogane,” She started, voice a bit stronger than it had been before. “And I’m the Ultimate Cosplayer.” The small smile that had been growing on her face began to fade, tears once again threatening to fall. “I…I never wanted to…they forced me to-”

“You don’t need to explain yourself,” Miu jumped in. “You don’t need to share anything until you’re ready.”

“We understand if some things are hard to talk about right now,” Maki added. There were fleeting glances thrown towards Kokichi as the girls comforted Tsumugi and reassured her that instant apologies were not mandatory. It was like they wanted to show him that they weren’t going to make the same mistakes this time around, they weren’t going to push for explanations. From the way Kokichi carefully met their stares with a neutral expression, Shuichi would wager he was recognizing their efforts.

“We should hold a roof meeting again,” Tenko proposed. “Everyone can reintroduce themselves and catch up Tsumugi on what’s been happening.”

“I mean, we don’t _need_ to meet on the roof all the time,” Shuichi pointed out as way of reminding them they had basically the entire island available. However, he silently acknowledged it was nice to have a space where they could meet without the mentors needing to accompany them.

“Yeah but the roof’s kind of a cathartic space now,” Kaito explained with a shrug. “Good location for sharing shit.”

“We make snacks this time?” Gonta suggested, his eyes lighting up with the idea.

“I have permission to use the hospital kitchens,” Kirumi quickly shared as she pulled out a small notebook and began making a list of potential food items.

“We need to bake cookies,” Kokichi decreed, leaning closer to Kirumi to read the growing list.

“I can bring my polish and paint people’s nails,” Rantaro offered.

“Makeovers!” Miu suddenly shouted as she pointed a finger at Korekiyo, a wide grin plastered on her face. “Kiyo, you promised I could do your makeup.”

“I don’t believe I actually _promised_ that,” Korekiyo responded, expression turning fearful as he saw the manic excitement coming from Miu.

“Guys…” Maki tried to call out, raising her voice when her words were swallowed up by the gradual rise in excited conversations. “G_uys_, she’s crying again.” The students all fell silent and looked to where Maki was pointing at Tsumugi to see that, sure enough, the cosplayer was once again shedding tears. Before anyone could rush to comfort her and ask what was wrong Tsumugi quickly waved her hands in front of her to stop them.

“I’m fine, I’m…I just…” Tsumugi wiped away the tears and gave a small laugh as she shrugged. “You guys seem so happy together.” She shook her head, a smile growing on her face as she stared down the surface of the table. “I’m just so glad I didn’t take that happiness away from you.” Worried murmurs from her peers filled the silence as some reached out to touch her shoulders or hands in gestures of comfort.

“Tsumugi, you were a victim like the rest of us,” Shuichi told her, many around him nodding in agreement. “Your thoughts and actions were twisted, more so than anyone else.”

“What matters now is how you’ll move forward,” Angie added, reasserting the lesson the rest of the class had slowly been learning during Tsumugi’s absence. The cosplayer sniffed as her eyes grew watery but she smiled and nodded.

“It was explained to me that they’d still like us to attend Hope’s Peak Academy,” Tsumugi brought up, looking around at the other members of the pilot class. “Were you all going to accept the offer?” The rest of the group shared glances, some realizing they had forgotten about the offer made at the original large group meeting entirely.

“We…haven’t even discussed that yet,” Kaede answered truthfully.

It was an interesting proposition, deciding to attend Hope’s Peak and officially accept the ultimate titles that had gotten them kidnapped in the first place. What other choices did they have? As many of them were without definitive families or guardians they would be placed under the care of either the academy or the government. They were only kids, many of them without the resources or knowledge of how to survive of their own.

But then again, their mentors had never given them reason to think not choosing the academy would leave them without help. Hajime had said they’d continue aiding them in their recovery regardless. The decision truly seemed to be in their hands. And Makoto had said their talents could contribute greatly to society as it rebuilds if given proper guidance.

“I don’t wanna accept unless you all accept too,” Himiko finally declared, pouting as she crossed her arms in front of her.

“Same here,” Ryoma agreed, others in the class nodding as well. “Wouldn’t be the same without everyone.”

“Even me?” Tsumugi questioned, eyes filled with fragile hope. “Would you all really be okay with me being a part of the class?”

“Like Ryoma said,” Kaede answered, reaching over to take Tsumugi’s hand in hers. “It wouldn’t be the same without everyone.”

The pilot class remained in the cafeteria for a while longer, chatting and finalizing their plans to host another rooftop meeting. However, it was clear by the third yawn Tsumugi attempted to stifle that the cosplayer was close to napping in her seat like Himiko was often found doing. Tsumugi was drained from the emotional rollercoaster she had undergone in such a short amount of time. With the promise that she’d join the others for excursions out into the islands, she returned to her room to rest with Kirumi and Kaede as escorts.

The rest of the class eventually began to make their way out of the room, some returning to their activities out in the islands while others announced they’d be staying in the hospital if anyone would like to join them and hang out. Shuichi had grouped with Himiko, Kokichi, and Ryoma as the four of them made plans to play cards in one of the hospital lounges. While Himiko finished up a conversation with Tenko, Shuichi glanced over at Kokichi and saw the supreme leader staring off into space, his expression quite pensive.

“Hey,” Shuichi called out softly, nudging Kokichi with his elbow. The smaller boy shook his head as if to clear away his thoughts and looked over at the detective. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah…” Kokichi murmured as he leaned into Shuichi. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“That was really good of you, speaking up like that,” Shuichi acknowledged. As little as Kokichi had said and done, it had been enough to spur the rest of them into action to comfort Tsumugi. It had been especially surprising given how much hatred Kokichi had had for the mastermind based on Kaito’s report of his final words. “I don’t think I could’ve made the first move.”

“You sell yourself short too often, Shuichi,” Kokichi told him, tone playful and teasing. Shuichi felt almost ashamed at how easily such a simple compliment prompted a light blush to develop on his cheeks. Though he had to think part of the issue was his newfound knowledge of Kokichi’s potential feelings. His response of silence made Kokichi tilt his head to the side, his expression shifting to something more analytical. “Something on your mind?”

“N-no,” Shuichi stammered out before quickly grimacing. “That was a lie, I’m not even going to try and hide it.”

“Hmmm, it was a _bad_ lie too,” Kokichi criticized, Shuichi’s immediate confession making him chuckle. “That’s fine. I like that you’re a terrible liar.” At Shuichi’s look of bewilderment, Kokichi smiled and held a finger up to his lips. “We complement each other nicely, don’t you think? _Someone_ has to balance me out.” Kokichi laughed and began to follow Himiko, who had finished her conversation with Tenko, out of the cafeteria leaving a dumbfounded Shuichi behind.

Shuichi watched them leave as numerous thoughts and theoreticals flooded his mind. They complemented each other, _balanced_ each other. Shuichi had never contemplated a romantic relationship with Kokichi, had never considered it a possibility, but now it was the only thing he could think about. But he needed to think this all through. He was a detective, after all, he couldn’t just pursue something this important without gathering all the facts and arriving at a sound conclusion. Shuichi was so absorbed in his thoughts that he once again didn’t notice an individual coming up beside him.

“Seriously,” Ryoma spoke, causing Shuichi to jump as he was pulled from his daydream. The tennis pro laughed and patted Shuichi on the arm. “How the _hell_ did you not know?”


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're nearing the end and writer's block is kicking in just in time for it but I'll still try my best to get the chapters out on Friday
> 
> As always, ya'll are amazing and your comments give me life

Having Tsumugi back in their ranks was like finishing a puzzle they hadn’t realized was missing pieces. Everything and everyone suddenly clicked into placed. The pilot class, with the exception of Tsumugi who still followed her own recovery protocol, was now given permission to explore the islands without a mentor escort. The only other addendum to this allowance was that they now needed to report back to the hospital for an evening curfew, if only just to check in with whichever mentor was on shift and update them on where’d they’d be for the night. Tsumugi still required a mentor escort but it had been promised that she’d eventually be allowed to explore with just her classmates as company.

The class had begun planning more bonding activities, supplemented by an occasional rooftop meeting where they could share and vent to one another over snacks. There were beach days and evening bonfires and small talent shows where Kaede would play piano or Himiko would perform magic tricks. While Shuichi was constantly busy being pulled about by various classmates to be involved in the day’s multitude of activities, his mind was never quite present in the moment.

A decent length of time had passed since he had been made aware of Kokichi’s feelings for him and yet his thoughts continued to tangle and confuse him, not quite forming a cohesive answer for what to do. Kokichi was his normal playful self, even more so now that he was on better terms with the rest of the class. He either didn’t notice or, in the more likely case, chose not to openly acknowledge the reactions he now elicited from Shuichi. Leaning against the detective, taking his hand, or letting slip the occasional compliment left Shuichi a blushing and stuttering mess. Simply brushing up beside him would send Shuichi’s mind into a whirl and it was honestly becoming quite ridiculous, especially when coupled with the knowing and often teasing glances and remarks from the rest of the pilot class when Kokichi wasn’t around.

Shuichi was having trouble figuring out how he felt and asking his classmates for advice had only resulted in more confusion. When he questioned Kaito and Maki, really the only confirmed couple with any sort of experience in the matter, how they figured out their feelings for one another they more or less gave the same answer: it was a gradual thing that neither of them realized was happening until they couldn’t accept anything else. Kaito’s trial and execution had been an unfortunate emotional tipping point that likely forced quicker realizations but they didn’t quite mind considering they got a second chance to be together.

While their story was sweet, it was ultimately unhelpful and Shuichi was still lost. This led him to seek out the individual who, despite the short time he had known her, had become his standard for common sense and logical advice. It was only potentially unfortunate who he eventually found her with.

“Good morning, Kyoko,” Shuichi greeted his mentor who he had tracked down and found in the library. “And to you as well, Byakuya.” He nodded in the direction of the blond who was in the middle of playing chess with Kyoko, though the greeting was likely unnecessary as the heir barely spared him a glance. Shuichi turned his attention back to Kyoko who had at least looked up from the chessboard and smiled at him. “I was wondering if I could ask you for some advice.”

“Of course. What kind of advice?” Kyoko questioned, glancing back down at the board to watch Byakuya move a pawn. Shuichi rubbed the back of his neck, already feeling the warmth of a blush developing on his cheeks.

“R-romantic advice,” He answered, prompting Kyoko to freeze mid-move with her hand raised in the air holding her chosen piece.

“Oh, um…no,” She replied, finally moving again and placing down her bishop.

“No…like I _can’t_ ask you?” Shuichi asked, brow furrowing.

“No like you _shouldn’t_ ask me,” Kyoko clarified, looking back at Shuichi as Byakuya made his move. “I’m not good with the whole talking about your emotions thing, that’s more Makoto’s specialty.”

“Why are you looking for relationship advice?” Byakuya questioned, surprising the younger detective slightly as he hadn’t expected to be acknowledged at all by him. Byakuya picked up one of his pieces before pausing and finally looking up at Shuichi, his expression unimpressed and bordering on irritated. “Are you planning to romantically pursue my mentee?” Shuichi blinked and stared at the man, gauging his reactions.

“I don’t know how I want to answer that,” Shuichi spoke, words and tone chosen carefully. Byakuya’s eye twitched ever so slightly before he turned back to the board and placed his piece.

“I’d rather he not have any trivial distractions like a relationship,” Byakuya stated. “He’s already shown great potential that I’ve decided I’d like to recruit into the ranks of the Togami Corporation once things have settled.”

“Really?” Kyoko mused, eyes scanning the board to calculate her next move. “That company’s like your child, you’ve been rebuilding it from the ground up.”

“Indeed. However, I’d be foolish to not continue the mentorship of someone so naturally skilled at psychological warfare and deception.” Byakuya glanced once more at Shuichi before letting out a sigh. “Though I suppose it can’t be helped. It’s clear he’s already become infatuated with you.”

“Was it seriously this obvious to everyone but me?” Shuichi muttered. Byakuya narrowed his eyes and looked between Shuichi and Kyoko.

“Are you certain he’s the next Ultimate Detective?” He asked, questioned directed at Kyoko who merely raised an elegant brow as her eyes filled with teasing amusement.

“Remind me, who was it that didn’t realize Chihiro Fujisaki was a boy despite tampering with the crime scene?” She asked, picking up another piece from the chessboard.

“Apologies for not examining _dead bodies_ as closely as you do,” Byakuya retorted, Kyoko only laughing in response as she moved her piece and claimed one of Byakuya’s.

“Why ask for relationship advice anyway?” Kyoko addressed Shuichi who was beginning to wonder whether or not he’d actually receive the help he had come searching for. “You have good instinct, just follow it.”

“Are you unsure of your feelings for him?” Byakuya interrogated. For someone normally so detached from the people around him, the head of the Togami Corporation sounded distinctly protective with regards to Kokichi. Shuichi quickly shook his head and rushed to explain.

“No, it’s not that. I just…” He trailed off as he attempted to pull together the mess of thoughts he had been filtering through while assessing the situation. “We’re all recovering from the trauma of a killing game. Some of us are in vulnerable states. Is that really the right time to start a relationship?” Shuichi shrugged, wondering if his ramblings were cohesive enough for the mentors to understand how he was feeling. He knew Kaito and Maki faced the same circumstances and were still in a loving relationship but he also felt their situation was slightly different. “I should wait…shouldn’t I?”

Kyoko and Byakuya had paused their game, the attention of both now fully on Shuichi. Kyoko seemed rather sympathetic as she considered her mentee’s worries. Despite her claim that the discussion of feelings was not her forte, she still knew what it was like to experience confusing emotions around or during events as influential as a killing game. Byakuya on the other hand seemed thoughtful as he regarded Shuichi, his gaze uncharacteristically soft.

“I believe that’s something the two of you should decide together, don’t you think?” Byakuya finally suggested. Kyoko started and stared at her former classmate, a look of pleasant surprise growing on her face.

“That was a surprisingly romantic thing for you to say, Byakuya,” She remarked. Byakuya blinked and in the next moment the cold shell of a leader fell into place around him, his features hardening into a guarded and practiced expression.

“Need it be romantic?” Byakuya scoffed. “The status of most business partnerships should be discussed by both parties before progressing to any further stage. It’s a practical approach.”

“You ruined it,” Kyoko complained, her hopeful expression falling.

“Good,” Byakuya said before moving another piece. “Checkmate.”

* * *

Leaving the library left Shuichi with slightly more confidence in some areas but that only existed alongside a still lingering hesitance. The major issue in all of it was that Shuichi knew something was bothering him, he just didn’t know what that thing was or how to articulate how it was making him feel. He was hoping speaking with others would help him interpret his thoughts but he was running out of people he believed could help. Shuichi didn’t even realize there was someone else he wanted to talk to until he was crossing through the central island and spotted them near the monument.

Hajime was alone, sitting cross-legged on the platform next to the clockwork-esque statue Shuichi now knew was of a woman named Chiaki, but knew no additional details beyond that. At first Shuichi thought Hajime was speaking on a phone as he could hear his voice but spotted no other individuals around. However, he quickly realized the man seemed to be speaking to the statue. Despite the desire to talk with him, Shuichi intended to leave him be for now and track him down later. Yet as he made his way towards the third island’s connecting bridge Hajime spotted him and somehow managed to sense the detective wished for a meeting. Shuichi was called over with a wave of Hajime’s hand.

“Am I interrupting something?” Shuichi checked as he approached Hajime. The man shook his head and made a vague gesture in the direction of the statue.

“Don’t worry, I was just giving updates,” Hajime assured him. Shuichi paused but chose not to comment on the response. While the pilot class hadn’t been given many details on the monument, it wasn’t difficult to piece together that it was likely of someone important to the 77th class who was no longer with them. Hajime flashed a bittersweet smile. “How are you doing, Shuichi?”

“I’m…fine,” Shuichi said, only wanting to move on to the main reason why he wanted to speak with Hajime. “I was actually wondering if I could talk to you about something…about Nagito, actually.”

“Ah.” A weary look of understanding came over Hajime’s face. “What has he done now?”

“Oh, no he hasn’t _done_ anything,” Shuichi quickly promised. “I just…I learned from Rantaro that you two are in a relationship and I was just wondering how that started, like how you knew-”

“No clue,” Hajime cut in. Shuichi stared as his shoulders slumped, an exhausting realization that he may never get the answers he needed settling into his tired frame.

“…what?”

“It just sort of happened,” Hajime explained with a shrug, though at seeing the dejection growing in Shuichi’s features he quickly added more to his explanation. “I mean, let me be clear that I _did_ have feelings for him. But between waking up from the program and helping fix the Future Foundation killing game and then coming back here to renovate the islands there was just…not enough time to think about it.” He crossed his arms and shrugged. “I liked him but I was never able to stop and process what that could mean for us until one night when Nagito…took the first step I guess you could say?”

“What did he do?” Shuichi asked, grasping on every bit of information to see if it could help him.

“He showed up at my cottage in the middle of the night. It was during the early days on the islands and everyone had sort of named me leader so I was usually quick to respond to someone knocking, regardless of the time. I opened the door and he was just standing there, looked scared as _shit_ and my first thought is _oh god what happened now_.” Hajime chuckled and Shuichi huffed out a small laugh as well, quite familiar with the feeling of constant concern for his classmates. “But before I can even get a word out he just says ‘_Nevermind!’_ and starts to walk away.” Hajime shook his head and muttered something like an afterthought. “I almost thought something had happened to Sonia.”

“What did you do?” Shuichi prompted.

“Dragged him back into the cottage, closed the door, and asked what was wrong,” Hajime answered, succinct and to the point. Shuichi could easily see why Hajime had been designated as leader by the rest of his class.

“And what did he say?”

“That he liked me,” Hajime said, slowly nodding his head before his smile twitched down into a grimace. “Then he immediately _apologized_ for liking me and said that if his feelings had offended me then I was welcome to drown him in the ocean.” Hajime huffed out a laugh at Shuichi’s look of shock. “Yeah, I don’t know if he’s told you about how he used to act but his sense of self-worth was _bad_.”

“How did you respond?” Shuichi asked, finding himself wondering how he would have responded in a situation like that. He and Nagito had spoken about how the older luckster didn’t have the greatest conduct in the past but Shuichi had a feeling Nagito had held back major details of just how unhealthy he had been.

“I kissed him,” Hajime shared, gaze growing distant as he reminisced on that particular moment. “Not the best first move, I know, but I’m awkward as hell and I didn’t know what to say and I was _tired_.” Hajime laughed and dragged a hand across his face before focusing back on Shuichi. “Why are you asking about this?” Before Shuichi could open his mouth to answer, something shifted in Hajime’s expression as his gaze became even more analytical. “You like someone, don’t you.” It was spoken more like a statement or fact than a question.

“U-um…”

“Is it Kokichi?” Hajime guessed, grinning when Shuichi’s face flushed a deep scarlet. “It’s Kokichi.” He confirmed for himself, nodding his head before laughing at the look of panic on Shuichi’s face. “Well don’t look so terrified about it.”

“I’m not!” Shuichi quickly defended, slapping his hands against his cheeks in a useless attempt to hide the blush. “I’m not…terrified.”

“From what I’ve seen everyone’s been getting along better with Kokichi,” Hajime observed. “Kaito told me that was your doing.”

“It wasn’t _just_ my doing,” Shuichi argued, acknowledging the effort put in by many of his other classmates.

“Okay, well…” Hajime trailed off and frowned. “Sorry, I’m trying to see what the problem is here. I thought you were worried about what your class might think. Nagito and I had that worry with our class, but it doesn’t seem like that’s the case with you.”

“I don’t really know what’s wrong,” Shuichi confessed, shaking his head. “I spoke with Kyoko and Byakuya earlier and they helped me sort out _some_ issues but something’s still bothering me and I don’t know what.”

“Is it something to do with you or something to do with him?” Hajime asked. Shuichi tilted his head, caught off guard by the question, so Hajime elaborated. “When Nagito and I first started dating I had doubts about whether or not he liked me for me or for all the talents I suddenly had.”

“How did you figure it out?” Shuichi questioned.

“Open communication,” Hajime replied simply, untangling his legs and dropping down off the monument platform to stand beside Shuichi. “Talking things out is the best way to get to a solution. Turned out that Nagito had been having doubts about certain things too. It’s common in any relationship.” He glanced at Shuichi as he began to stretch out the cramps in his legs. “Does that sound like the problem you’re having?”

“I don’t…I know I like him for him. He’s clever and…cute.” Shuichi lightly slapped his cheeks again as the blush threatened to return. “He keeps me on my toes and it makes me happy to see him happy. I just…” He trailed off and his hands dropped to his sides. “What did I ever do to make _him_ like _me_? Why doesn’t he find me boring like the rest?” He shook his head, the chaotic thoughts that had been running through his mind finally converging as words tumbled from his mouth quicker than his brain could process them. “What if he’s just messing with me or doesn’t realize that he’s doing it? What if he’s-”

“Lying?” Hajime interrupted. Shuichi froze and couldn’t figure out why a shiver ran down his spine until his brain caught up and realized the voice he heard from Hajime sounded distinctly _bored_ in tone. Shuichi hated that voice and still couldn’t figure out why he only occasionally heard it from the mentor. “You’re worried he’s been lying about how he feels.”

“He says I’m his favorite,” Shuichi continued, resisting the urge to move away from Hajime and that voice. “He calls me his beloved detective and says I don’t bore him but _why_?”

“Only he can answer that,” Hajime argued softly, his voice now thankfully full of more emotion than before. “You need to ask him.”

“But we’re trying to get everyone to trust each other and he’s been making such good progress,” Shuichi reasoned, slowly becoming more and more distressed as he realized his true issues with the whole situation. “If I question whether he’s telling the truth then he’s going to think I don’t trust him. I can’t _do_ that to him.” He looked at Hajime, eyes wide and pleading as he tried to make his concerns known. “We aren’t even dating and I’m just supposed to ask if something he hasn’t confessed to yet is genuine?” Hajime raised his hands and placed them on Shuichi’s shoulders, applying just enough pressure to ground the young detective and bring him back to the moment. Shuichi distantly registered that his own breathing had picked up and he could feel his heart pounding against his ribs.

“If he truly does care for you then he’ll listen,” Hajime maintained, his intense heterochromatic gaze almost lulling Shuichi into a trance. “He won’t care that you have doubt, he’ll only want to prove it wrong. But first you need to talk to him.” He gave Shuichi’s shoulders a tight squeeze and Shuichi drew in a shaky breath. “Nothing will happen unless you talk to him.”


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentine's Day! 
> 
> How convenient that today's update fits the theme. Who's ready for a _confession?_

There was something about having the shared experience of living through a mutual killing game that made the mentors absolutely bond to their mentees in the pilot class. Shuichi and his classmates weren’t just patients or students to the 77th and 78th classes, they became honorary members of the families they had already created. Certain mentor and mentee pairings had even started to become emotional from the realization that they’d have to separate from one another once the pilot class left for the academy. It took Makoto and Byakuya striking a deal between the Future Foundation and Hope’s Peak to allow future visits back to Jabberwock Island for everyone to calm down.

Another effect of the groups becoming more and more like family was that the pilot class was invited to the hotel area of the first island to participate in the blessing ceremony Shuichi had previously seen Korekiyo and Sonia preparing for. It was held in the hotel’s restaurant where Teruteru had set up a vast banquet of food and the space was decorated with many of the ceremony components Shuichi recognized from that day in the library. Most of them, mentors and mentees alike, were unaware of what exactly they were celebrating unlike Kyoko and Shuichi. At Sonia’s request they had kept it a secret.

When everyone had assembled Sonia called for silence so she could make an announcement. Gundham, confused but trusting, stood in front of the group beside her. His confusion quickly morphed to startled surprise before the widest grin broke out on the man’s face as Sonia announced that she was expecting a baby. Absolute pandemonium broke out in the room as everyone rushed to congratulate the couple who were now both crying tears of joy as Gundham cradled Sonia’s stomach and stared at her in awe.

Once everyone had settled and after a brief private conversation between him and Sonia, the couple called Kazuichi over to them. Another brief and private conversation between the three of them resulted in Kazuichi bursting into tears and furiously nodding. After that Sonia and Gundham announced to the group that they were naming Kazuichi godparent of their future child, less so for any religious reason and more so to mean that if anything were to happen to the two of them then the mechanic would become the child’s guardian.

This was so much more than the exciting expectation of a child. This was something the 77th class likely never thought they could have again. Their isolated life on the island, while self-imposed, was still a restrictive and damning existence. They would never hold proper careers that showcased their ultimate talents. They’d never make new friends or network with colleagues to advance society. But this was something they could still have, still hope for. The potential for an expanded family breathed new life into the island’s permanent inhabitants.

The idea, the sheer proof right in front of them, that love and celebration could still triumph after the trauma of a killing game settled in Shuichi’s mind and fortified the decision to finally do what he had been so terrified to do. Later that evening as the pilot class passed through the central island on their way back to the hospital, Shuichi pulled Kokichi to the side.

“Could we talk?” Shuichi asked him, ignoring the perceptive looks sent his way as his classmates passed by the two of them. “If you’re free, that is.” Kokichi looked caught off guard for a moment before his mouth quirked up into a grin.

“I’m always free for you, Shuichi,” He told him as he walked over to one of the central island’s park benches. Shuichi watched the last of his classmates cross over the bridge before finally joining Kokichi on the bench. Kokichi was staring up the stars that had begun to spot the night sky and Shuichi took the opportunity to study the boy.

Kokichi had seemed less fake lately, less like he was playing a character who was always pleased and always playful. Kokichi was happy, of course, and his smiles were genuine when he would spend time with other members of the pilot class. His expressions were more often soft and content rather than hardened or guarded. But there were also moments of sorrow and exhaustion in his expressions which Shuichi still considered okay because it meant Kokichi was becoming more willing to show his true emotions. Shuichi cleared his throat and took a deep breath.

“I have reason to believe that you like me,” Shuichi finally spoke. Kokichi twitched and whipped his eyes back down to look at Shuichi. For a moment Shuichi saw what looked like panic in his eyes before Kokichi’s expression quickly settled into one of confusion.

“Well of course I like you,” Kokichi confirmed, head tilting as a fond smile tugged at his lips. “That’s sort of important in a friendship.”

“No, not just that,” Shuichi corrected as he shook his head and watched the panic return to Kokichi’s eyes. “You like me as in you have feelings for me…romantic feelings.” Kokichi remained silent so Shuichi pressed on. “Am I right in assuming this?” Kokichi’s lips pressed together in a thin line as he stared at Shuichi, eyes calculating.

“Let’s say that you are,” Kokichi finally replied, voice even and neutral. Shuichi blinked and smiled as his brain finally processed the reply.

“Okay…great! Um…” Shuichi looked away, rearranging his thoughts and pushing away the backup plans he had formed if Kokichi had said no. He shrugged and nodded his head. “We should start planning a date then, I guess.”

“What?” Kokichi questioned. Shuichi looked back at him and immediately felt that something was wrong. There was a curious emotion in Kokichi’s expression, a muddled mix of confusion and hurt verging into pity.

“Doesn’t that usually happen?” Shuichi asked, wondering if he had done something wrong. Were there were other steps involved in this? Maybe he should have asked Kaito and Maki more questions. “You have feelings for someone so…you go on dates…w-with them?”

“Yeah, but _we_ won’t do _that_,” Kokichi told him as he shook his head and gave him a sad smile.

“…what?” Shuichi asked, voice quieter now. “Why not?”

“Shuichi…” Kokichi trailed off and rolled his eyes but paused when he noticed how distraught Shuichi now looked, the sight seeming to sober him. “Listen, you’re a detective. You’re the…the reputable pillar of morality that fights for the _truth_.” He waved one of his hands around, gesturing between the two of them as he explained. “I’m a _liar_. My _talent_ is lying and manipulating and messing things up for other people. Our game of cat and mouse would be fun but we just wouldn’t _work_-”

“That’s bullshit and you know it,” Shuichi snapped causing Kokichi to freeze with his hand midair.

“…did you just _swear_-”

“Kokichi, you said it yourself,” Shuichi interrupted, reaching out and taking the hand Kokichi held aloft to hold within his own. Just as he had on the roof all those nights ago, Kokichi seemed almost fascinated by the sight of their hands joined together. “We _balance_ each other out.”

“Yeah, you keep me in check,” Kokichi murmured, shaking his head and slightly tugging back his hand in a halfhearted attempt to retrieve it. “That doesn’t mean you need to _date_ me to do that.”

“Who said anything about _needing _to date you?” Shuichi questioned. He turned on the bench to fully face the other boy and make sure his words were properly understood. “This isn’t some obligation. I _want _to date you.”

“That’s ridiculous, why would you _want_ to date me?” Kokichi’s eyes were wide as he asked this, stunned not only by the conversation but also by Shuichi’s ever-increasing display of emotions.

“Because I like you too!” Shuichi exclaimed, finally letting go of Kokichi’s hand only to throw his own up in the air in frustration. “I just can’t figure out why you like _me_. I had to be _told_ by other people that you liked me.” Shuichi observed that Kokichi was now fully frozen and was staring off into the distance. “Why do you think this confession is only just now happening?!”

Kokichi was quiet for a moment, squeezing his eyes shut as he cradled the hand Shuichi had held like it was something to be protected. Shuichi realized that he was breathing a bit heavy from his outburst and worked to regain his composure as he waited for Kokichi to respond.

“Of course I like you. I thought you knew and just didn’t feel the same way,” Kokichi finally spoke, voice nearly a whisper. He opened his eyes, directing his violet gaze at Shuichi as he shook his head. “You didn’t even say you had feelings for me until _just now._ Before you were saying that we should go on a date simply because _I_ liked _you_.”

Shuichi opened his mouth before promptly snapping it shut as he filtered through his memories of the last few minutes and indeed found something distinctly _missing_.

He hadn’t actually told Kokichi he liked him.

_That_ was the reason for the attempts to hide his panic and the mix of pity and hurt in Kokichi’s expression. Essentially all Shuichi did was call Kokichi out on his emotions and when no confession of mutual feelings followed, Kokichi had been left to think Shuichi believed that if someone had feelings for you then you were obligated to date them. Kokichi had just been trying to gently reject Shuichi despite the fact that it was hurting him to do so.

“As it turns out,” Shuichi muttered. “I’m sort of oblivious with things like this.”

“Well yeah, I could have told you that,” Kokichi sputtered out a laugh in disbelief at what had just transpired. The corners of his mouth began to quirk up into a smile as Shuichi groaned and dropped his head into his hands. “But you really didn’t know that I liked you? I was never exactly subtle, especially not recently.”

“I thought…” Shuichi picked up his head and slumped against the bench, suddenly exhausted. “I thought you might’ve been toying with me. I didn’t know if the things you said to me were genuine or…”

“If I was lying,” Kokichi filled in. He didn’t sound accusatory or offended by the idea but Shuichi still jumped to explain himself.

“I _do _trust you, Kokichi,” Shuichi swore. “I promise that I do.”

“I believe you,” Kokichi quickly assured, voice soft and comforting in an attempt to keep Shuichi from panicking again. “Trust doesn’t mean you have to believe everything I say is the truth. That’s just not reasonable or fair to you.” He reached out and took both of Shuichi’s hands to hold within his own. Both of their hands were beginning to cool from the slight chill creeping in with the night. “Trust is just believing I’ll never intentionally use my lies to hurt you.”

Shuichi let out a breath and squeezed Kokichi’s hands as the two of them sat beneath the stars of the night sky. It felt like yet another thing had finally shifted into place, like Shuichi had emerged from the program with a broken foundation that he was slowly rebuilding brick by brick. Every experience, from the uncomfortable to the celebratory, was gradually piecing him back together.

Some strange instinct, the same that made words tumble from his mouth faster than his brain could process them, pushed Shuichi to maneuver one of Kokichi’s hands and raise it to his lips to press a light kiss to the boy’s knuckles. He glanced up to see Kokichi’s reaction, pleased to see a dusting of pink on the other boy’s cheeks as he blushed and stared at Shuichi in awe. However, the moment was quickly ruined when Kokichi’s mouth twisted into one of his familiar teasing grins.

“Did you just make my _hand_ the recipient of our first kiss?” Kokichi asked. Shuichi froze and dropped Kokichi’s hand like it had burned him.

“I, u-uh…I didn’t mean to,” Shuichi quickly claimed, finally feeling the warmth of his own blush taking over his face. “I mean I did _mean_ to, it just felt like the thing to do so I went for it but I didn’t mean to-”

Shuichi’s ramblings were cut short as Kokichi reached his hands up to grab the detective’s head and pull him close into a deep kiss. Shuichi’s words weren’t the only thing that stopped, his mind also grinding to a halt as he registered the fact that he and Kokichi were finally kissing. Another moment passed and Shuichi’s eyes slipped shut as he reached up to cradle Kokichi’s face. All he could focus on was how soft Kokichi’s lips were and when his hands slid down further to his throat he could feel the other boy’s pulse, feel how his heart was beating rapid fire.

As quickly as it started, the kiss came to an end. Kokichi pulled away though he kept his face mere inches from Shuichi’s, their noses just close to brushing against one another. Both of them shared matching smiles and held a warm blush in their cheeks.

“I’m giving you one last chance to change your mind,” Kokichi warned, hands still cradling Shuichi’s face. “After that I’m never letting you go.”

“Is that a decree of an evil supreme leader?” Shuichi challenged teasingly. Kokichi huffed out a surprised laugh, impressed by the boldness of the joke.

“Are you interrogating me, mister detective?” Kokichi questioned, throwing the tease right back at Shuichi.

“No, not interrogating,” Shuichi corrected. “But I will need to stick around and keep an eye on you. You know,” Shuichi surged forward with an unfamiliar confidence and gave Kokichi’s lips another quick kiss. “for the good of the law.”

“Right, right…” Kokichi trailed off, a dopey grin overtaking his face. He stared at Shuichi and huffed out a laugh. “We’re such idiots.”

“Yeah.”

* * *

It occurred to Shuichi the next morning that while the rest of their classmates were well aware of his and Kokichi’s feelings for one another, they would now need to be told that the pair had actually confessed to one another. They no longer had class trials for forcing people’s hard-kept secrets out into the open. They needed to share new information like normal people.

Kokichi greeted him at his door that morning so they could walk to breakfast together, something they had planned the night before they parted ways to their separate rooms. As they made their way to the cafeteria, hand clasped together and swinging between them, Shuichi began contemplating how they’d announce the status of their new relationship to everyone. Though once they reached the other members of the pilot class it was made immediately clear that Shuichi wouldn’t need to worry about developing a formal announcement.

“It’s official!” Kokichi shouted, despite the fact that their classmates were all seated in close proximity to them. He swung his and Shuichi’s joined hands up into the air like a trophy. “Shuichi is mine now, no one can touch him but me!” Their classmates had fallen silent, any previous conversations abandoned in favor of the supreme leader and detective standing before them.

“Does that mean what I think it means or is this just more nonsense?” Tenko questioned, finally breaking the silence.

“Please tell me it’s not more nonsense,” Korekiyo pleaded.

“It’s hard to tell with those two,” Rantaro acknowledged, others around him nodding in agreement.

“You could have worded that better,” Shuichi muttered, criticism directed at Kokichi who only smiled in response. Shuichi sighed and raised his voice to address the entire class. “But uh…y-yeah. Kokichi and I are…we’re dating now, I think…” He trailed off and glanced at Kokichi, eyes filling with renewed panic. “That’s what we’re doing, right? I didn’t just misinterpret everything?”

“Wow,” Kokichi drawled, reaching up to poke at one of Shuichi’s cheeks. “You’re so cute when you’re flustered.” Shuichi’s cheeks flared a bright red at the comment as he weakly batted away Kokichi’s finger. Kaito stood abruptly from his table, chair scraping against the floor from the quick movement. The chair would have fallen to the ground had Maki not swiftly reached out an arm to grab and right it, all without moving her gaze away from Shuichi and Kokichi.

“I need a definitive answer here. Are we celebrating or not?” Kaito demanded, slamming his hands down on the surface of the table. Kokichi and Shuichi glanced at one another before slowly nodding at the astronaut who threw his hands in the air in response. “Fucking _finally!_” Kaito darted around the table to swing his arms around each boy’s neck and pull them into a hug, only letting go when Kokichi dramatically complained that he couldn’t breathe. 

“Took you two long enough,” Kaede teased. “Any longer and we would’ve started casting bets.”

“Wait, were we not supposed to cast bets?” Miu asked, failing to hide a grin behind one hand as she pointed at Kaito with the other. “Because we did and Kaito totally lost.”

“What did I tell you about gambling,” Maki criticized. Kaito had the decency to look ashamed as he was subjected to his girlfriend’s disapproval. “You’re terrible at it.”

As Shuichi fielded messages from his classmates of congratulations mixed with playful jabs at how long it had taken for them to finally get together, he felt more pieces fall into place. He realized that the love and support coming from his peers made his new relationship with Kokichi so much better. He glanced over to see Kokichi conversing with Maki, the bodyguard gesturing with her hands as she explained something to him. Shuichi wasn’t the most skilled in reading lips but he did manage to pick out the words _‘double date’_ come from her mouth and a warmth bloomed in his chest.

Things were finally coming together.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update, this work week has been a bit blah and I was already dealing with a writer's block so when Friday rolled around I was like...nah
> 
> I'll be adding one more chapter to this thing as a sort of epilogue. Hopefully I'll be able to get that out on time this coming week. Thanks again as always for your support!

Time always passed strangely on the islands. Of course, they had the sun’s rise and set to tell them the day had begun or ended but it wasn’t just about the day to day. It was like they were in a sort of limbo. Maybe it was the lack of calendars available to them. Maybe it was the island’s consistent vacation weather that made it difficult to discern any sort of season. Maybe it was because everyone had exited the program at different times so the perspective of how long they had been out differed.

Whatever it was, somewhere along the way the pilot class began counting time differently then what was typical. Rather than having the knowledge that it was Tuesday or that they were nearing the end of June or that it was springtime, they began judging the passing of time based on a countdown of days.

They now knew that they would be leaving the islands in less than four days, bound for the newly rebuilt Hope’s Peak Academy as its first class of Ultimates.

Makoto had announced it to them one morning when they were all assembled for breakfast. The Future Foundation had reviewed their psychological and physical evaluations and cleared all of them for attendance at the academy. A few days later a massive tanker ship had arrived at the islands, their mode of transportation back to society that became a marker for the start of their countdown. Everyone’s belongings were gradually loaded on to the vessel to prepare for their departure.

The students had known it was coming, that this was what their therapy and recovery on the islands had been leading to all this time, but that didn’t mean they were happy about it. It wasn’t like they hated the idea of returning to society or regretted their decision to accept enrollment at the academy. It was more so like the feeling of being called back home after spending time away with a friend. It was necessary but it was sad.

The mentors quickly noticed this weird state of melancholy anxiety that had fallen over their mentees and jumped to announce something they had been planning for a long while in anticipation of the students’ departure.

A pool party.

It seemed silly at first. They were surrounded by beaches so why would they find a pool more exciting? However, there was something cozier about hosting the party in the hotel area. The pool’s water was temperature controlled so they could swim well into the night with its chill air. Ibuki was able to set up a sound stage and DJ for them without worrying about sand getting into the equipment. Teruteru could produce dish after dish in the kitchens nearby. It all seemed so simple and yet, to the pilot class, it was perfect.

“Before the party begins, we’d just like to introduce you to someone,” Hajime called for attention the day of the party. Everyone had assembled in the lobby of the hotel, gathered around a large monitor attached to the wall for a quick announcement as requested by the members of the 77th class. Hajime gestured towards the monitor. “Everyone, this is Usami.”

The monitor quickly flicked on, at first only displaying glitching static before a creature appeared on the screen. A pink and white rabbit dressed in a magical girl style costume with matching accessories and a pink staff danced into view. The pilot class stared for a moment at the mascot, a strange mix of warning signals firing in their heads.

“She kind of looks like a pink Monokuma,” Kaede finally stated, many of the students nodding as they realized why exactly Usami was making them feel uneasy.

“Yeah no,” Kazuichi drawled, watching with amusement as Nagito tapped on the monitor and grinned when Usami threateningly shook her staff at him. “Any image of Junko Enoshima’s fursona is forbidden on this island.”

“No wait, she looks like Monophanie,” Miu corrected, ignoring her mentor’s words. “Or like…Monophanie’s weird cousin.”

“Do any of you know what a rabbit is?” Usami squealed, tiny digital steam clouds puffing away from her to indicate frustration. “I’m nothing like that mean old bear!”

“Usami held the role of Observer in our program,” Hajime explained, gently pulling Nagito away from the monitor to keep him from pestering the mascot. “She always did her best to protect us in there so after we exited the program we went back into its coding and pulled her out to act as a helpful A.I. for the island’s more technical equipment.”

“As a teacher I’ll always do my best to help my students!” Usami declared as she spun around and struck a pose.

“Teacher?” Rantaro repeated, glancing over at Makoto. “Is that what we’re getting for a teacher at Hope’s Peak?” The headmaster only laughed and shook his head as Hajime continued with his announcement.

“We’re providing Hope’s Peak with Usami’s coding,” Hajime informed them, holding up a small flash drive which he then tossed to Makoto. Makoto fumbled and immediately dropped the flash drive but it was quickly grabbed by an exasperated Byakuya before it could hit the floor. “With it you’ll have a direct connection to everyone here on the island for video calls.”

“We know the visits won’t be the easiest thing to organize,” Mahiru acknowledged from her spot beside Hajime. Shuichi had come to learn that the photographer acted as one of the other reliable leaders for the island due to her practical nature. “This way if any of you are having a hard time adjusting to the academy and want to call us up then you just need to ask Usami.”

The students were once again humbled by how much their mentors wished to see them be happy and succeed. Having a direct line to the island was bordering on a security hazard in the eyes of the Future Foundation which wished the island’s inhabitants to remain a closed secret. However, leaving the islands and attempting to transition back to being proper students had a high potential for being mentally and emotionally jarring for the recovering pilot class without some extra help.

“Alright, that should be all for the announcement,” Sonia took over, falling into her natural instincts of well-mannered diplomacy. “Food will be available upstairs and if you leave the area make sure you tell a mentor where you’re going.” She gave a grand smile and raised her fist into the air. “Have fun!”

* * *

“Are you seriously reading at a party?” For once Shuichi didn’t jump when Kaito snuck up behind him and suddenly spoke. The party had been going on for a little while now, the sun beginning to set over the islands. Mentors and mentees alike were scattered around the area, some eating and some in the pool and some relaxing on the long poolside lounge chairs like Shuichi was.

“They’re about to reveal the murderer and I need to see if I guessed it right,” Shuichi defended, not looking up from his book.

“You haven’t gotten sick of having to guess who the killer is?” Kaito asked, peering over Shuichi’s shoulder to get a look at the page.

“It _is_ sort of his talent,” Maki argued, removing her sunglasses so she could look up at Kaito. She had been lounging in the chair beside Shuichi for a while, soaking up the sun’s rays before they were gone. Kaede was in the chair on the other side of him, though Rantaro sat with her and was braiding her hair. Many of the other students were in the pool and for that reason the girls had dragged their chairs along with Shuichi’s up to the edge of the water.

“Don’t get me wrong,” Shuichi spoke, bookmarking the page and holding the book in his hands as he sat forward and crossed his legs. “Even I’m surprised I still like being a detective after all of those investigations and class trials.”

“I always felt like I didn’t get to see enough,” Kaede shared, glancing over at Shuichi. “I’ve realized that you probably saw too much.”

“The therapy has been helpful,” Shuichi answered honestly. He looked up and scanned the chairs on the other side of the pool where he spotted Byakuya chatting with Makoto. “Even more surprisingly, Byakuya has been pretty helpful.”

“Really?” Kaito questioned, obviously skeptical as he joined Maki on her lounge chair.

“I’m not sure how I feel about him,” K1-B0 chimed in to the conversation. He was sitting nearby on the edge of the pool with his legs submerged in the water. He still had the issue of sinking like a rock in water so instead he had been tossing items into the water for Tenko, Ryoma, and Gonta to dive after and retrieve. “He can be so cold and calculating, it makes me wonder how much he actually cares about all of us.”

“I heard that despite being a survivor he still did some pretty terrible things in his game,” Miu revealed, catching the latter half of the group conversation as she floated nearby on an inner tube.

“He did,” Kokichi confirmed, seemingly appearing out of nowhere behind Shuichi with his vague and cryptic statement. The smaller boy settled onto the Shuichi’s lounge chair just behind him, draping himself across the detective’s back. “And he regrets it now.”

“So how has he been helpful?” Rantaro asked, steering the conversation away from criticism and back to Shuichi’s original point. Shuichi was thoughtful for a moment, contemplating which pieces of information he wished to share.

“He watched his classmates die one by one in his first game. They weren’t in a program so they died for good,” Shuichi finally began, looking over at the heir who had a rare genuine smile on his face as he now conversed with Sonia. “He was still pretty arrogant at the time so he didn’t care all that much, but he did grow sort of protective of his fellow survivors. Then half of them were trapped in another killing game, one where he couldn’t even be there with them. He had to wait on the outside and just hope they lasted long enough for help to arrive.”

“He doesn’t seem that protective of them,” Tenko criticized, joining the conversation as she, Ryoma, and Gonta waded in the water by K1-B0’s legs.

“He shows it differently,” Shuichi argued softly. He watched from afar as Yasuhiro moved to sit on one of the lounge chairs, too engrossed in a conversation with Gundham to notice that there was a glass bottle resting on top of it. Byakuya moved like it was purely instinct as he deftly reached over to swipe up the bottle before Yasuhiro could crush it, all without breaking from his conversation with Sonia.

“How’d you learn all this?” Kaito asked as he squeezed onto Maki’s lounge chair to sit beside her.

“Observation,” Shuichi confessed. “There’s these small signs for when he’s putting up an act, he’s not perfect at it and some genuine emotion slips through when he thinks no one is watching.” He shrugged. “I more or less called him out on it a little while ago and we talked about things.” Shuichi ran through his memories of that day, of the long conversation he practically cornered Byakuya into having when they were both alone in the library. They ended up talking for so long they never even realized night had fallen until Kyoko came looking for Shuichi to make sure he had eaten.

“So skilled at calling out lies and yet he can’t tell one to save his life,” Kokichi teased, reaching around Shuichi to take the book from his hands.

“That’s what I have you for,” Shuichi told him. Kokichi raised a brow and gently tapped Shuichi’s head with the book.

“Oh, is it?” Kokichi challenged. “I was under the impression it was for my cute face.”

“That’s certainly a bonus,” Shuichi murmured with a smile, craning his neck to place a kiss on Kokichi’s cheek.

“You know, I thought you two dating _wouldn’t_ result in the flirting getting worse since Kokichi always flirted regardless,” Rantaro said, tying off another braid in Kaede’s hair. “But now Shuichi is flirting back and I’m not sure if I like it.”

“I think it is very sweet,” Angie stated as she floated by on another pool float. Miu reached out a hand to pull the artist in towards the forming group and anchor her to the edge.

“It’s all the sexual tension,” Miu declared, an impish grin overtaking her features. “They just need to fuck.”

At that suggestion Shuichi and Kokichi both froze as their faces and necks flushed a deep scarlet. Himiko, Kirumi, Tsumugi, and Korekiyo perfectly timed their return from fetching snacks and drinks to hear Miu’s line and see the boys’ reactions, allowing them to join in on the teasing amusement from the rest of the class as the newest couple became too overwhelmed for any sort of clever response.

“Oh, there we go,” Ryoma observed with a chuckle. “We just need to fluster them into silence.”

“Miu, that will be your job,” Kirumi informed her as she handed out water bottles to her classmates to make sure no one was dehydrated from being out in the sun.

“_Hell yeah_,” Miu cheered, her grin becoming even more devilish. Kokichi managed to recover faster than Shuichi and snatched one of the water bottles from Kirumi to throw at Miu. She kicked away from the pool edge to avoid it, cackling while Tenko swam out to reel her back in. Shuichi glanced around and realized that the entire pilot class was now present, understandable considering how much they tended to gravitate towards one another. They had become comfortable with one another as support systems which made it even more important that all of them would be continuing on to Hope’s Peak together.

“We’re gonna be students again,” Himiko remarked, apparently contemplating similar thoughts as Shuichi. “That’s such a weird thought. It’ll be so…normal.”

“Maybe we need a bit of normalcy,” Kaede acknowledged, many nodding in agreement as thoughts of what they had been through flashed through their minds.

“From what Makoto’s told me, the academy won’t be the _most_ normal,” Rantaro informed them. “At least, it plays a different game than most other schools.”

“Makes sense,” Tsumugi said, smiling when Kaede and Rantaro shifted over on their chair to offer her a seat beside them. “They’re training Ultimates. I imagine the curriculum won’t be all that standard.”

“Do you think we’ll get research labs again?” Angie asked. Shuichi caught sight of Korekiyo and saw that his eyes had lit up, likely due to him recalling all the artifacts he had been provided during the program.

“Probably not personalized ones but I’m sure we’ll have resources specific to our talent,” Shuichi reasoned.

“What’s Kokichi gonna get, a death ray?” Kaito playfully joked, well aware of Kokichi’s personal rules against deadly weapons despite what his ultimate talent would imply.

“Of course not,” Kokichi spoke with theatrical sincerity, going along with Kaito’s joke. “But that’s because Miu’s gonna build me one.”

“Yeah? Says who?” Miu shot back with a challenging grin.

“Oh, so you don’t think you can build one?” Kokichi questioned with a frown, his tone dripping with mock disappointment as he very obviously manipulated the inventor. “I guess there _is_ a limit to that golden brain of yours.”

“_Fuck_ you,” Miu snarled, immediately taking the bait as she pointed at Kokichi, her nail painted pink and black courtesy of Rantaro. “I’m gonna build the best damn death ray you’ve ever _seen_.”

“No one’s building a death ray,” K1-B0 informed each of them, already sounding exhausted with the prospect of keeping an eye on his two chaotic friends once they were at the academy.

“I’m gonna miss Teruteru’s cooking,” Tenko whined. Shuichi held back a laugh and refrained from pointing out the fact that Tenko had indirectly complimented a man’s skills for once.

“Yeah, and I don’t think I’ll ever find a better manager than Nekomaru,” Ryoma lamented.

“Gonta will miss Gundham and his hamsters,” Gonta admitted with a frown before suddenly perking up and smiling. “But we can visit!”

“Yes, I’m truly looking forward to that,” Korekiyo shared. “Sonia insists we visit when the baby is born as well.”

“Some of you are lucky,” K1-B0 said, pointedly looking at Shuichi to further stress his argument. “Your mentors aren’t stuck on an island.”

“Doesn’t mean we’ll get to see them all the time,” Himiko pointed out. “They _do_ have jobs...I think.”

“Meanwhile one of Rantaro’s mentors is the damn headmaster of the academy,” Kaito reminded them, raising a brow as he looked over at the green-haired student.

“I must be lucky,” Rantaro mused, a grin twisting the corners of his mouth up as he began to laugh at his own joke, some laughing with him while others groaned at the pun.

They were facing the end of one journey and preparing to begin a new one. Shuichi looked around at the faces of his classmates, of his friends. He watched the people who, despite all they had been through, managed to stay together and beat despair in the name of hope. Their time on the islands hadn’t been some magical cure for the trauma they had faced. They’d always hold pieces of what they had been through with them, but they’d never need to deal with those memories and feelings alone.

They were going to be okay.


	23. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this epilogue isn’t really _necessary_ for the rest of the story, like if you want to disregard it that’s fine. I just wanted to do a quick little flash into the future and show how things progress from a new person’s perspective. I also had to come up with a fake name and I’m bad at that so I’m sorry if it’s a weird fake name.

_Hope’s Peak Academy: 4 Months Later_

Megumi Aragaki did not have an Ultimate Talent. She never attended the old Hope’s Peak Academy, not even as a reserve course student. She was never even scouted for the opportunity to enroll. She had absolutely zero previous connections to the academy save for the knowledge that it existed. That is, she had zero connections until very recently.

Megumi was a bright young woman and highly determined as well. When she realized her passion for both teaching and counseling, she didn’t just go halfway with it. She completed a dual degree in psychology and sociology with a focus in education and later went on to earn her Master’s in trauma-informed teaching. She was aware the jobs she could be hired for wouldn’t necessarily pay well despite the qualifications she had to offer, but that never mattered to her. All she wanted was to be able to provide children with the help and instruction they needed.

It was for these reasons that the newly rebuilt Hope’s Peak Academy reached out and offered her a position as a teacher.

At first Megumi was confused. She had been under the impression that Ultimate students were taught by former Ultimates, or at least by teachers that knew how to adjust to the academy’s _loosely structured_ curriculum. The academy informed her that, yes, that’s how they usually did things and that the other classes of Ultimate students would be taught in such a manner. However, the reason they wanted her was for one class in particular.

She had heard about them on the news, how one of the pilot classes for the new academy had been kidnapped and their families had been killed. She remembered her heart breaking for these children as she thought of the challenges they’d face moving forward. So, to hear that they wanted her to be their teacher, for her to be the specially trained individual who could help them adjust, she didn’t hesitate to accept the offer.

Although, some days she wondered if she maybe should have hesitated.

Today was one of those days. Megumi sat at her desk waiting for the day to begin, watching as her students slowly trickled into the classroom. She tended to remain silent before class began, only speaking if a student approached her. She liked to give the students a chance to chat and interact, observing them as they did so to gauge the moods for the day.

“I think those reporters have finally stopped trying to get interviews,” Saihara announced as he walked into the classroom, flashing a polite smile towards Megumi as he passed.

There had been mobs of reporters and journalists staked out at the entrance of the academy ever since the students had returned. Everyone wanted the first bit of news from the kidnapped pilot class, so much so that the students were escorted by Future Foundation agents for the first few weeks to ensure their safety. Gradually their numbers had dwindled but a few of the more determined reporters had still been pestering the students.

“Weird,” Yumeno mused from her seat where she was idly flipping a deck of playing cards around. “It’s almost like Maki telling them that she knew twenty-seven different ways to break someone’s bones and make it look like an accident made them not want to come back.”

“Hey now, they should’ve done better research,” Harukawa defended from where she leaned against Momota’s desk. “Then they’d figure out I only know twenty-_five_ ways to break them.”

Saihara stopped briefly by Amami’s seat on the way to his own desk. Oma sat perched on top of Amami’s desk and Saihara leaned in to greet the boy with a quick kiss before he moved on to settle in at his own assigned seat. Megumi had been made aware that some of her students were dating one another ahead of time in a briefing conducted by the academy’s headmaster, Makoto Naegi, and talent scout, Byakuya Togami. She found the young couples quite endearing and rather appreciated Saihara and Harukawa’s abilities to keep their significant others inline and on task during class.

The purpose of the briefing, given when she had accepted the job, was to let her know exactly how her students would differ from the rest of the Hope’s Peak classes. She was brought up to speed on what had happened to the students after they were kidnapped, informed of the traumatic killing game they had been through, and was even given access to redacted versions of their psychological evaluations. She was told that the Future Foundation would occasionally be sending personnel to conduct wellness checks to ensure the students hadn’t fallen into despair.

She was aware that the students were housed on campus in dormitories and that they were essentially wards of the academy. She was also told that the students would be going on scheduled school trips in the future. She was not told where they would be going, who they were seeing, or why they were going but she knew the trips were somehow important to their health and wellbeing and that was enough for her.

Megumi’s gaze drifted as her ears picked up different conversations in the room, settling on one after the other as a silent observer.

“How’s the internship with the Togami Corporation been so far?” She heard Amami ask Oma. He seemed perfectly content that the other boy was sitting on his desk. Megumi liked Amami as he was one of the few other individuals who Oma seemed to actually listen to.

“I’ve already gotten someone fired,” Oma cheerfully informed him.

“Why the hell would you do that?” Momota questioned, arms crossed as he tipped back his chair so it rested on only two legs. Megumi noted that he was still wearing his blazer in an odd fashion, with his left arm properly in a sleeve while his right arm remained outside of it.

The students all wore the standard Hope’s Peak uniform consisting of brown blazers and skirts or trousers. Some students added small personal flares to their uniform like Oma who always wore a checkered scarf around his neck or Iruma who usually donned her brown safety goggles for any potential sudden projects. Megumi always encouraged self-expression in her students but she still hadn’t figured out why Momota wore his blazer that way.

“One of Byakuya’s administrative officers had been leeching funds and sending them to a rival company he was planning to jump ship to,” Oma explained, nonchalantly inspecting his nails as he did so. “It was almost _too_ easy figuring it out and getting him to confess.” A glint of something sadistic flashed in the boy’s eyes as he grinned, a face that reminded Megumi why the boy had earned the title of his talent. “It was fun watching him get dragged out by security.”

Megumi allowed her attention to drift once again, this time settling on Iruma who was scribbling away at her desk, blueprints scattered around and practically spilling off the surface.

“What about this one?” Iruma asked, whipping up one of the blueprints and shoving it in the face of K1-B0 who sat beside her. K1-B0 leaned back, gently pushing the girl’s hands away so he could properly see the schematic.

“Miu, they’re not going to approve this,” K1-B0 told her with a sigh and the start of a weary smile. “You made the generator bases look like-”

“A pair of tits, I know!” Iruma exclaimed. Megumi had to force back her own laughter at hearing the excited outburst. “Do you think I can convince them that this is the only way they can be structured? Kiyo, what do you think?”

Shinguji placed down his book and leaned forward over his desk behind Iruma, peering over her shoulder at the blueprint. His yellow eyes narrowed and he reached up to pluck at the straps of his face mask.

“…Maybe if you get Kokichi to help you pitch the design,” Shinguji tentatively admitted. Iruma grinned and rose from her seat, walking over to shove the blueprint in Oma’s face and get his opinion.

Iruma was an interesting case. While other students may have started internships or were just focusing on classes and improving their talents on their own, she had already managed to patent some of her work. Society was still rebuilding in the wake of the Tragedy and Iruma’s inventions had proved to be incredibly helpful with recovery efforts. Iruma and Makoto Naegi had even organized a deal with those who used her designs so their payment would come in the form of investments and research grants for the academy.

The students didn’t really need to worry about money during their enrollment. They attended the academy for free and had access to its resources at no charge but in addition to that they had trust funds comprised of any assets left behind by their families or guardians. The trust funds were managed by the academy and partially invested on their behalf and with their approval by the Togami Corporation. Portions of the funds were allotted in small increments as stipends for the students’ personal use until they would inherit the sum in full upon graduation.

Megumi took a deep breath and straightened her posture as she prepared to call for attention to begin the day. It was usually a shot in the dark whether or not she managed to keep the class productive or if she ended up losing the bulk of her students as they found interest in something else for the day. Things were already off to a good start considering everyone was in attendance and more or less in their seats so all she had to do was…

The door to the classroom burst open and in walked Kyoko Kirigiri, fiancée of the headmaster and leading detective for the surrounding area. Megumi stared at her classroom’s intruder as the dreaded realization set in that she would not be able to conduct a normal class today.

“Let’s go,” Kirigiri ordered, pointing at Saihara who stared at her with wide eyes. “Grab your stuff.”

“What are we…” Saihara began to ask, though he was already dutifully gathering up his things without much hesitation.

“New case,” Kirigiri answered, flashing a quick smile to the other students who waved at her in greeting. “Thirty-two year old man showed up at the local police station covered in blood. He claims to have amnesia and no one’s been able to find the victim or any evidence of a crime aside from the blood covering him.”

“…human blood?” Saihara questioned after a moment of thought.

“Human blood,” Kirigiri confirmed with a nod.

“Detective Kirigiri,” Megumi spoke with all the authority she could muster as she attempted to retain control of her class. “I’m well aware of your mentor relationship with the young Mr. Saihara here, but with all due respect just because you’re engaged to the headmaster does not mean you can barge in here and steal my students.”

“Oh, I’m not using my engagement to garner some kind of false authority to validate this,” Kirigiri responded. “I’m just taking your student because I want to.” The detective turned on her heel to exit the classroom, waving a hand behind her to guide Saihara out. “Let’s go, Shuichi.”

Megumi pursed her lips and looked pleadingly to Saihara who had already gathered his things and was halfway across the room. He froze under her gaze and for a moment Megumi thought she could still get her student back, but that moment quickly passed as he flashed her an apologetic look and hurried out of the room, pausing only to give Oma another quick kiss on the cheek before he left.

Megumi let out a sigh and looked out at the rest of her students, now silent from the sudden intrusion. She could still make this work. Saihara was a bright student so he’d have no trouble catching up if she continued on with today’s lesson. She just needed to…

“Well if Shuichi’s leaving, I’m not gonna waste this good weather,” Hoshi declared as he pulled a tennis racket from his bag. Megumi felt the final nail get hammered into the coffin. “Tenko, you down for a quick match?”

“A chance to beat a man at his own sport?” Chabashira replied, a fire lighting in her eyes at the offer of a challenge. “How could I say no?”

“Gonta, would you like to catch some pretty insects for me to paint?” Yonaga asked, standing from her seat and pulling a paintbrush out from where it was tucked behind her ear.

“Yes!” Gokuhara excitedly said, standing with her. “Gonta recommend _plebejus argyrognomon_ for beautiful wings.”

“Kaede, you come as well,” Yonaga suggested as she passed by Akamatsu’s desk. The artist took the pianist’s hands in hers and pulled her up. “Art inspires art, yes?”

“Yeah!” Akamatsu agreed as she gathered her belongings. “I’ve been meaning to start composing more. Maybe I’ll get the inspiration I need.”

“Kirumi, would you please model for me?” Shirogane begged, gathering up the costume sketches she had on her desk as she turned to address Tojo. “I’ve almost finished the pleats on the skirt for the Hyakkaou Private Academy uniform but I’d love to see how the flow looks on an actual person.”

“Of course, I’d be happy to help,” Tojo assured her, ever polite and accommodating.

Megumi watched as one by one her students left the room in pursuit of things more applicable to their talents. Don’t misunderstand, she loved seeing her kids passionate about their gifts but their tendency to run off and do as they please made her question her importance as their teacher. She was recruited specifically for them, to help give them the best chance of success after what they had been through, but most days it seemed as though they didn’t need her at all.

“Accept a teaching job at Hope’s Peak, they said. It’ll be a great experience teaching Ultimates, they said,” Megumi bitterly muttered as the last of her students made their way out of the classroom. She slumped in her seat, folding her arms on top of her desk and resting her head on them. “Why do I even try?”

Megumi heard the room fall silent and assumed the last of her students had finally left the room until a small clink made her raise her head. Tojo was still in the room, standing in front of Megumi’s desk as she poured what looked like tea out of a thermos into a waiting teacup she had acquired from who knows where. Tojo finished pouring and gently placed the teacup down in front of Megumi.

“You’re doing a wonderful job, Miss Aragaki,” Tojo assured her with a smile as she screwed the cap back onto the thermos. “I’ll make sure they all show up tomorrow for class.”

With that final promise Tojo gathered her things and made her way out of the room, presumably to catch up with Shirogane. Megumi watched her leave before finally looking back at the cup of tea, steaming and probably at the perfect temperature if Tojo’s talent was anything to go by. She picked up the cup and took a sip, humming as she silently remarked how it tasted like her favorite blend of peppermint tea. She smiled.

Megumi loved her students.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we’re done. Holy shit. Like seriously, this was such an experience. Not only was this my first Danganronpa fic, this is also now the longest piece I’ve ever written. I just wanted to thank all of you for the support and all your lovely comments as well as the constructive criticism. 
> 
> Between trying to write a story centering around something as variable as trauma recovery while also juggling the portrayals of so many characters who people have their own personal headcanons and opinions for, I’m glad that people had the occasional argument to make in the comments. It started conversations and made me reconsider next steps in my writing. I also loved the help with general structuring and grammar since my background is in medicine and biology so I don’t have much experience with creative writing.
> 
> So thank you once again for this experience, I hope you enjoyed it as well!

**Author's Note:**

> Inspo for the title and motivation to keep writing this thing goes to [It's Alright](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1s2XGSnKYBU) by Mother Mother
> 
> Constructive criticism very welcome, I crave it.


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